••''..' 


Y  M.  ca; 


f~\ 


JOHN  SKALLY  TERRY 
MEMORIAL  COLLECTION 


ESTABLISHED  BY 

THE  FAMILY  IN  HONOR  OF 

JOHN  S.  TERRY 

CLASS  OF  1918 


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{ 


FrorUis,     Seepage  1Ô9. 
THE  YOUNG    LORD  SAW   A  CHARMING  GIRL  SEATED   AMONG  THE  BRANCHES. 


FRENCH 
FAIRY  TALES 


TRANSLATED    BY 

M.   CARY 

ILLUSTRATED  BY 
E.    BOYD   SMITH 


NEW    YORK 

THOMAS  Y.    CROWELL  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1887  and  1903,  by 
THOMAS  Y.  CROWELL  AND  COMPANY 


INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

The  young  readers  into  whose  hands  this  book 
may  come,  will  care  little  for  a  preface  which 
only  keeps  them  from  the  entertainment  which 
they  have  learned  unfailingly  to  expect  from  such 
stories.  But  their  elders  havo  rights  which  the 
purveyors  of  folk-stories  are  bound  to  respect; 
for  these  popular  tales,  or  old  wives'  fables,  while 
losing  none  of  their  j^opularity  in  the  nursery, 
have  descended  thence,  and  found  a  place  also  in 
the  parlor  and  the  study.  They  are  like  the 
rough  little  box  which  the  kind  fairy  has  given 
to  the  little  brother,  and  at  which  his  elders  at 
first  look  with  disdain,  until,  when  it  has  been 
opened,  and  fold  after  fold  of  rich  stuff  has 
tumbled  out  of  it,  they  value  it  highly,  for  all  its 
outward  roughness,  and  even  would  despoil  the 
youngest  of  his  magic  prize.  The  fairy  stories, 
which  had  hitherto  been  only  food  for  childish  en- 
tertainment, became,  in  the  hands  of  the  brothers 
Grimm  and  the  philologians  and  literary  students 
who  succeeded  them,  the  foundation  of  a  science 
rich  in  conclusions  respecting  portions  of  human 
history  anterior  to  or  unrepresented  in  more  arti- 
ficial literary  memorials. 

iii 


iv  INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

It  is  not  possible,  in  an  introductory  page  or 
two,  to  say  anything  of  all  that  the  study  of  such 
stories  and  of  their  transmission  has  added  to  the 
sum  of  modern  learning,  nor  of  the  light  they 
throw  on  peasant  character;  but  it  is  only  justice 
to  readers  who  approach  these  studies  from  this 
point  of  view,  with  a  more  or  less  scientific  in- 
terest in  studies  of  folk-lore,  to  state  the  sources 
whence  the  tales  in  this  collection  have  been  trans- 
lated, and  to  attest  the  fidelity  of  the  translation. 
Of  these  stories, — derived  from  the  French  prov- 
inces or,  in  one  or  two  cases,  colonies, — the  first 
part,  extending  to  page  192,  have  been  selected 
and  translated  from  the  pages  of  the  admirable 
French  folk-lore  journal,  "Mélusine,"  of  which 
the  first  volume  appeared  in  1878,  the  second  in 
1884  and  1885,  the  third  in  1886  and  1887;  the 
remaining  stories  have  been  selected  and  trans- 
lated from  Paul  Sébillot's  "Contes  des  Provinces 
de  la  France"  (Paris,  1884).  Scrupulous  care 
has  been  taken  to  preserve  a  note  of  the  sources 
of  the  stories. 

Naturally  some  slight  verbal  changes  have 
here  and  there  been  necessary;  but  these  have 
been  few  in  number.  In  all  other  passages,  a 
scrupulous  fidelity  to  the  original  has  been  aimed 
at,  and  has,  I  believe,  been  attained. 

J.  F.  Jameson, 


Contents 


PAGE 

The  Legend  of  the  Lake  of  îssarlès  .      .      .      .,     .  1 

The  Fairies  and  the  Two  Hunchbacks    ....  6 

The  Skilful  Thief 8 

The  King's  Three  Sons       , 23 

The  Hare,  the  Bear,  and  the  Fox 33 

Papa  Tiger  and  Papa  Sheep 52 

John  Bit-of-a-Man 60 

Long  Time 65 

Skilful  John 69 

The  Tailor  and  the  Hurricane 72 

The  Baker's  Three  Daughters 85 

You  Must  Not  Work  on  Sunday 102 

Destiny 106 

The  Little  Ant  That  Was  Going  to  Jerusalem, 

and  the  Snow 110 

The  Most  Powerful  Husband  in  the  World     .      .114 

The  Nine  Brothers,  Who  Were  Changed  to  Sheep, 

and  Their  Sister 117 

The  King  and  His  Three  Sons 127 

Fanch  Scouarnec 130 

The  Roebuck  Hunt 148 

Pierre  and  Helene 153 

The  Three  Eggs  .      .      .      .     ,. 166 

v 


vi  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

The  Three  Brothers 176 

The  Cock's  Wife 189 

The  Castle  Hung  in  the  Air 193 

The  Two  Soldiers 204 

The  Three  Brothers  and  the  Giant 210 

The  Fairy  and  the  Daughter  of  the  Earth       .       .  220 

Sister  and  Half-Sister 232 

The  Fairies'  Ship 237 

The  Shepherd  Who  Won  the  King's  Daughter  by  a 

Single  Word 246 

The  Enchanted  Ring 251 

The  Siren  of  La  Fresnaye 259 

The   Little   Hunchback 267 

The  Princess  of  Tronkolaine       ........  276 


French  Fairy  Tales 


THE  LEGEND  OF  THE  LAKE  OF 
ISSARLÈS 

N^ORTHWEST  of  Ardèche,  on  the  limits 
of  Haute-Loire  and  Lozère,  in  the  com- 
mune of  Issarlès,  may  be  seen  one  of  the 
largest  lakes  formed  by  the  volcanic  craters  of 
the  Northern  Cévennes.  The  origin  of  the  lake 
is  thus  told  in  a  legend  heard  from  an  old  woman 
of  Sainte  Eulalie,  the  next  commune  to  Issarlès. 
There  was,  in  old  times,  not  far  from  where 
I  live,  a  large  parish  with  houses  scattered  far 
apart  in  the  rural  portions,  and  containing  only 
one  town,  named  Issarlès.  One  day  a  poor  man 
came  to  this  parish  to  ask  for  alms.  He  began  in 
the  country.  At  the  first  house  to  which  he  came, 
he  cried,  "Give  me  something,  for  I  am  hungry." 
"Oh!  my  friend,  I  have  nothing  for  you,"  an- 
swered the  woman,  pityingly.  "Have  you  not 
even  a  few  potatoes  in  your  pot?"  said  he. 
"Yes,"  replied  the  woman,  "there  are  two,  if  you 
want  them."     The  poor  man  took  one  and  de- 


2    ■  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

parted.  Then  he  walked  on,  and  came  to  another 
house.  "Give  me  something,  for  the  love  of 
God,"  he  cried.  The  woman  rose,  and  said,  "My 
friend,  we  have  no  bread,  but  the  dough  is  in  the 
tray  all  ready  ;  the  oven  is  almost  warm  enough  ; 
we  shall  soon  bake  it,  and  then  we  will  give  you 
some  sweet  bread;  sit  down  and  wait."  The 
poor  man  said,  "Your  bread  is  baked."  The 
woman  said  to  her  husband,  "My  husband,  the 
poor  man  says  that  our  bread,  which  is  in  the  tray, 
is  already  baked.  How  can  that  be?  We  have 
not  yet  put  it  in  the  oven."  The  husband  looked 
into  the  tray  and  saw  the  bread  already  baked, 
and  near  the  large  loaves  he  saw  a  small  sweet 
loaf.  "What  you  have  declared  is  really  so,"  said 
he  to  the  poor  man;  "the  bread  is  baked  without 
having  been  in  the  oven.  It  is  God's  doing.  Sit 
down  at  our  table,  and  eat  with  us."  The  poor 
man  refused.  "Then  take,"  said  the  husband, 
"the  loaf  that  my  wife  wished  to  prepare  for  you, 
and  which  is  already  baked  as  well  as  the  large 
loaves."  The  poor  man  took  the  loaf,  and  be- 
fore leaving,  said  to  the  husband,  "In  a  little  while 
you  will  hear  a  great  noise;  don't  be  frightened." 
At  some  distance  from  the  house,  the  poor  man 
met  two  little  children  playing  by  the  roadside. 
"What  are  you  doing,  my  children?"  "We  are 
playing."  "Are  you  hungry?"  "No."  "If 
you  want  some  sweet  bread,   I  will  give  you 


* 


THE   BOTTOM   OF  THE   LAKES  OF  ISSARLES. 


THE  LAKE  OF  ISSARLES  3 

some."  "Hungry  or  not,  we  can  eat  it  very 
well,"  said  the  children.  The  poor  man  divided 
his  sweet  loaf,  and  gave  half  of  it  to  each  of  the 
children,  who  ran  off  with  it  to  their  mother. 
"Mamma,  a  poor  man  gave  us  each  half  a  sweet 
loaf,"  they  cried.  Their  mother  scolded  them. 
"Never  take  bread  from  beggars,"  she  said;  "it 
is  not  clean;  I  forbid  your  eating  it."  "Mamma, 
it  is  very  good;  it  is  better  than  our  bread."  "I 
forbid  your  eating  it;  I  do  not  know  the  person 
who  gave  it  to  you,"  and  saying  this,  she  took 
the  pieces  of  bread  from  the  children's  hands  and 
threw  them  into  the  chicken  coop. 

A  few  moments  after,  the  poor  man  appeared 
at  the  door  of  this  woman's  house,  which  was  at 
the  entrance  of  the  town.  The  children  pointed 
him  out  to  their  mother,  who  said,  "You  begging! 
you,  who  can  give  bread  to  the  children  you  find 
on  the  road!  You  had  better  keep  your  bread; 
it  is  not  fit  food  for  my  children.  For  me,  I  have 
nothing  to  give  to  those  who  themselves  can 
give."  The  poor  man  went  away;  he  entered  the 
town,  begging  from  house  to  house,  and  every- 
where was  driven  away.  He  was  about  to  leave 
the  town,  when  in  the  suburbs,  he  saw  two  little 
houses,  and  thought  he  would  make  one  more  at- 
tempt, by  applying  there.  A  woman  came  out 
of  the  first  house  to  which  he  went,  and  said,  "I 
have  no  bread,  I  have  only  leaven;  do  you  want 


4  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

some?  I  will  give  you  some."  "I  cannot  eat 
leaven,"  replied  the  poor  man.  Now,  this 
woman  told  a  lie,  for  she  had  bread,  but  did  not 
wish  to  give  him  any. 

The  poor  man  went  a  few  steps  further  on,  and 
soon  came  to  the  second  house.  A  woman  was 
seated  by  the  wall,  milking  a  goat.  "I  am  very 
thirsty,"  said  the  beggar;  "would  you  give  me  a 
little  milk?"  "Ah!  my  friend,"  she  answered, 
"I  will  give  you  all  my  goat's  milk,  if  you  want 
it."  "I  do  not  want  all  the  milk  of  your  goat; 
a  little  will  be  enough  for  me."  The  woman 
went  to  get  a  glass  ;  filled  it  with  milk,  and  offered 
it  to  the  beggar,  saying,  "Will  you  dip  some 
bread  in  it?"  "No;  I  am  not  hungry;  I  am  only 
thirsty,  and  I  have  more  than  enough  to  drink." 
Then  he  drank,  and  as  the  woman  continued  to 
milk  her  goat,  Jesus  drew  near  to  her  (for  the 
beggar  was  Jesus),  and  said:  "You  will  soon 
hear  a  great  noise,  but  no  matter  how  loud  it 
may  be,  or  from  what  direction  it  may  come,  do 
not  move;  continue  milking  your  goat." 

At  that  very  moment,  a  tremendous  noise  burst 
upon  them.  It  was  the  town  of  Issarlès  sinking 
down  into  the  yawning  earth.  The  woman  half 
turned  her  head  to  see  whence  the  noise  came; 
she  had  no  sooner  done  so  than  she  was  swallowed 
up  with  the  town.  The  ruins  were  immediately 
covered  up  by  a  sheet  of  water. 


THE  LAKE  OF  ISSARLES  5 

On  a  clear  day  one  may  see  to  the  bottom  of  the 
lake  the  ruins  of  the  town  of  Issarlès,  and  dis- 
tinguish clearly  by  the  side  of  a  small  house,  the 
last  in  the  town,  a  woman,  who  with  both  her 
hands  is  milking  a  goat.  I  have  seen  her  many  a 
time  when  I  was  passing  along  the  shore. 

Victor  Smith. 


THE  FAIRIES  AND  THE  TWO 
HUNCHBACKS 

A    STORY    OF    PICARD Y 

ONCE  there  were  three  fairies  who  used  to 
amuse  themselves  by  dancing  round  and 
round,  and  singing,  "Sunday,  Monday; 
Sunday,  Monday."  One  day  a  little  hunchback 
surprised  them  at  this  sport,  and  without  being 
afraid,  he  took  them  by  the  hand  and  began  to 
dance  with  them,  repeating  also,  "Sunday,  Mon- 
day; Sunday,  Monday."  He  danced  so  prettily 
that  the  fairies  were  charmed,  and  to  reward  him 
took  away  his  hunch.  Perfectly  happy,  he  re- 
turned home,  constantly  singing  as  he  went,  "Sun- 
day, Monday;  Sunday,  Monday."  On  the  road 
he  met  another  little  hunchback  whom  he  knew. 
The  latter  was  greatly  astonished  to  see  his  friend 
relieved  of  his  hunch,  and  said:  "How  did  you 
manage  it?  Your  hunch  is  gone."  "It  is  all 
very  easy,"  replied  the  other;  "you  have  only  to 
go  to  a  certain  wood,  when  you  will  find  some 
fairies;  you  must  dance  with  them  and  sing, 
'Sunday,  Monday;  Sunday,  Monday,'  and  they 
will  take  away  your  hunch." 


FAIRIES  AND  HUNCHBACKS  7 

"I  will  go,  I  will  go  at  once,"  cried  the  little 
hunchback,  and  started  immediately  for  the  wood 
to  which  he  had  been  directed,  where,  sure 
enough,  he  found  the  three  fairies.  Without  hes- 
itating, he  took  them  by  the  hand  and  danced  with 
them,  repeating,  "Sunday,  Monday."  But  un- 
happily for  him,  he  added,  "Tuesday,  Wednes- 
day." The  fairies,  indignant,  added  to  his  hunch 
that  of  the  first  hunchback,  so  that  he  was  a  frght 
to  behold,  so  frightful  that  if  you  had  seen  him 
you  would  have  run  away  from  him.  And  then? 
— And  then  the  cock  crew,  and  it  was  day. 

Told  by  Auguste  Gourdin,  miller,  aged  63,  at  Warloy- 
Baillon  (Somme). 

Henri  Carnoy. 


THE  SKILFUL  THIEF 

A    BRETON    STORY 

t  |    ^  HERE  was  once  upon  a  time  a  poor  man 

I  who  had  two  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl, 
Efflam  and  Hénori. 

One  day  the  father  said  to  Efflam:  "My  son, 
now  that  you  are  grown  up,  you  should  be  able 
to  get  your  own  living  and  take  care  of  yourself. 
Suppose  you  go  to  Paris  and  seek  your  fortune." 

"Very  well,  father,"  said  Efflam;  "1  will  go  to 
Paris  and  seek  my  fortune." 

And  so  the  next  day  Efflam  set  out  for  Paris. 
He  traveled  and  traveled,  always  on  foot.  Once 
night  surprised  him  in  the  midst  of  a  deep  for- 
est. He  got  up  in  a  tree  to  wait  for  the  morning 
and  to  keep  himself  safe  from  the  wild  beasts. 
Soon  three  robbers  laden  with  booty  stopped  un- 
der the  tree.  They  lifted  a  large  stone  and  de- 
posited their  booty  in  a  cavern  whose  entrance  the 
stone  had  concealed.  Then  they  seated  them- 
selves under  the  tree  to  eat  and  drink,  meanwhile 
talking  of  their  adventures.  Efflam  listened, 
and  this  is  what  he  heard  : — 

"I,"  said  one  of  the  robbers,  "have  a  marvel- 

8 


THE  SKILFUL  THIEF  9 

ous  cloak  which  carries  me  through  the  air,  wher- 
ever I  wish  to  go." 

"I,"  said  the  second,  "have  a  hat  which  ren- 
ders me  invisible,  and  when  I  have  it  on  my  head 
I  can  go  everywhere  without  being  seen  by  any 
one. 

"And  I,"  said  the  third,  "have  some  boots  with 
which  I  can  walk  as  swiftly  as  the  wind  blows." 

"If  I  could  have  the  cloak,  the  hat,  and  the 
boots,  or  only  one  of  the  three,"  said  Efflam  to 
himself,  "that  would  easily  make  my  fortune; 
but  how  can  I  manage  it?"  Then  he  turned  it 
over  in  his  head,  and  hit  upon  this  plan:  that, 
by  letting  himself  down  through  the  leafy 
branches,  he  would  fall  into  the  midst  of  the  rob- 
bers and  shout,  "Stop,  thief!"  so  as  to  make  them 
believe  that  the  devil  or  the  police  were  at  their 
heels.  No  sooner  said  than  done,  and  the  three 
robbers,  seized  with  fright,  ran  off  as  fast  as  they 
could,  leaving  on  the  ground  the  cloak,  the  hat, 
and  the  boots. 

Efflam  seized  the  three  talismans,  and,  having 
put  on  the  boots,  he  soon  found  himself  in  Paris. 
As  he  was  walking  along  the  streets,  astonished 
at  the  beautiful  things  he  saw  on  all  sides,  he 
noticed  a  jeweler's  shop  which  seemed  finer  and 
richer  than  the  others,  and  was  tempted  to  take 
from  it  a  few  articles  of  value.  He  put  on  his 
magic  hat,  made  his  way  into  the  shop  without 


îo  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

being  perceived  by  any  one,  and  took  everything 
he  pleased.  Afterward,  in  order  to  get  ready 
money,  he  sold  in  another  shop  the  articles  he  had 
obtained  in  this  way.  Meeting  a  soldier  from  his 
own  country,  he  led  him  a  gay  life  for  several 
days.  When  the  money  was  all  gone,  Efflam  was 
at  no  loss  to  know  how  to  get  more.  One  day  he 
saw  at  a  market  a  vender  of  earthen  vases  who 
was  doing  a  good  business,  and  put  his  money, 
as  he  received  it,  into  a  wooden  chest  beside  him. 
"I  must  take  away  his  chest,"  said  Efflam  to  him- 
self, and  putting  on  his  hat,  he  easily  carried  off 
the  chest,  took  it  where  no  one  could  see  him, 
broke  it  open,  took  the  money  which  was  in  it, 
and  once  more  lived  a  gay  life  while  it  lasted. 

Another  day,  as  he  was  taking  a  walk  through 
one  of  the  squares  of  the  city,  he  overheard  three 
men  talking  together  about  the  king's  treasure. 
They  were  saying  that  they  thought  it  a  needless 
piece  of  caution  on  the  king's  part  to  place  sen- 
tinels near  the  tower  which  contained  his  treas- 
ure, because,  since  there  were  neither  doors  nor 
windows  to  this  tower,  and  the  walls  were  so  thick 
and  solid,  it  was  impossible  to  make  the  slightest 
breach  in  it.  "Very  good,"  said  Efflam  to  him- 
self; "now  I  know  where  the  king's  treasure  is." 
Then,  addressing  the  three  men,  he  said,  "So  you 
think  it  impossible  to  steal  the  king's  treasure?" 
"Why,  yes,"  they  answered.     "Well,  I,  for  one, 


THE  SKILFUL  THIEF  1 1 

do  not  think  so."  And  with  that  he  left  them. 
When  night  had  come,  he  repaired  to  the  foot  of 
the  tower,  and  having  spread  his  magic  cloak  on 
the  ground,  he  seated  himself  on  it,  put  on  his 
hat,  and  said,  "Cloak,  do  your  duty,  and  bear  me 
immediately  into  the  king's  treasure-chamber." 
This  was  immediately  done  without  being  per- 
ceived by  the  guards  or  any  one  else.  He  went 
out  in  the  same  manner,  with  his  pockets  filled 
with  gold  and  silver.  The  next  night,  and  the 
next,  and  every  night  after  that,  he  returned  to 
the  attack,  and  always  with  the  same  success. 
Having  now  become  rich  in  a  short  time,  he 
bought  a  palace,  and  sent  for  his  father  and  sis- 
ter. On  the  day  on  which  they  were  to  arrive  he 
went  to  meet  them  with  a  fine  carriage  drawn  by 
two  horses.  When  he  had  got  about  three  miles 
from  the  city,  seeing  his  father  and  sister  coming 
along  the  road  on  foot,  and  poorly  clad,  he  or- 
dered his  coachman  to  return  to  his  house  with  one 
of  the  horses,  and  bring  him  a  box  Avhich  he  had 
forgotten  and  left  on  the  table  in  his  chamber,  and 
which  he  wanted  very  much.  He  would  wait  for 
him,  he  said,  in  a  certain  house  by  the  roadside. 

The  coachman  unhitched  one  of  the  horses  and 
set  off.  Efflam  then  took  his  father  and  sister 
into  the  house  by  the  roadside,  gave  them  changes 
of  rich  garments  that  he  had  brought  for  them 
in  the  carriage,  and  also  to  each  of  them  a  purse 


12  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

filled  with  gold,  so  that  the  coachman,  on  his  re- 
turn, should  not  take  them  for  poor  peasants,  as 
they  really  were.  The  coachman  returned,  and 
said  to  his  master,  "I  did  not  find  the  box  in  your 
chamber."  "Oh  !  I  had  it  with  me  in  my  carriage 
and  did  not  know  it."  Then  they  returned  to  the 
city. 

One  day  the  father  asked  his  son  how  he  had 
managed  to  get  so  rich,  and  Efflam  acknowl- 
edged to  him  that  he  had  stolen  the  king's  treas- 
ure. "If  you  wish,"  said  the  old  man,  "I  will 
go  with  you,  and  between  us  we  can  bring  away  a 
larger  sum."     "Very  well,"  said  Efflam. 

When  night  had  come,  they  both  placed  them- 
selves on  the  magic  cloak,  put  both  their  heads 
in  the  magic  hat,  and  were  transported  into  the 
treasure-chamber  ;  then  they  returned  in  the  same 
manner,  each  bearing  his  load  of  money. 

But  the  king  perceived  that  his  treasure  was 
being  stolen,  and  was  very  much  astonished  at 
it,  for  he  never  trusted  any  one  with  the  key. 
Moreover,  he  saw  no  traces  of  any  attempt  to 
break  in.  Then  he  set  traps  around  the  vases 
which  contained  the  silver  and  the  gold,  in  order 
to  catch  the  thief.  And  sure  enough,  the  next 
night  the  father  was  caught.  Finding  he  could 
not  get  away,  and  hoping  at  least  to  save  his  son, 
he  said  to  him,  "Cut  off  my  head  and  take  it  away 
from  here,  with  my  clothes,  so  that  I  may  not  be 


THE  SKILFUL  THIEF  13 

recognized,"  Efflam  took  his  advice,  cut  off  his 
head,  and  took  it  away  to  bury  it  in  his  garden. 
When  the  king  came  the  next  day  to  the  treasure- 
chamber,  he  cried  out  with  joy,  on  seeing  there 
the  lifeless  body:  "Aha!  my  thief  is  taken  at 
last.  Let  us  see  who  he  is."  But  neither  he  nor 
any  one  else  could  identify  the  body  without  a 
head,  so  that  he  was  even  more  puzzled  than  ever. 
Then  he  published  through  the  city  that  the  thief 
had  been  caught,  and  that  his  body  would  be 
dragged  on  a  hurdle  through  all  the  streets  of 
the  town.  This  was  accordingly  done,  and  four 
soldiers,  two  before  and  two  behind,  accompanied 
the  body,  with  orders  to  listen  attentively,  and 
look  well  about  them  to  see  if  any  one  cried  or 
groaned  or  appeared  distressed  as  they  passed 
along.  Efflam  ordered  his  carriage  early  in  the 
morning,  and  before  setting  out  he  told  his  neigh- 
bors and  all  in  his  house,  that  he  was  going  to  take 
his  father  to  his  own  country,  since  he  wished 
very  much  to  return.  This  was  to  explain  the 
disappearance  of  the  old  man.  On  getting  about 
a  mile  from  the  city,  he  said  to  his  servant  as 
before,  "Take  one  of  the  horses  and  return  with 
all  speed  to  the  city,  and  bring  my  father  his 
purse  which  he  forgot  when  he  came  away." 
The  coachman  took  one  of  the  horses  and  de- 
parted. Then  Efflam  saw  a  postman  coming 
along  down  the  road,  and  asked  him  if  he  was  not 


14  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

very  tired.  "Not  yet,"  replied  the  man;  "but  I 
shall  be  before  I  have  made  my  rounds,  for  I  have 
a  long  way  to  go."  "If  you  wish,"  said  Efflam, 
"I  will  give  you  my  horse  and  carriage."  "You 
are  joking  with  me,  my  lord."  "I  am  not  joking 
with  you,  and  to  prove  it — here — take  them." 
Then  Efflam  got  down  from  his  carriage  and  al- 
most forced  the  postman  to  mount,  while  he  re- 
turned to  the  city  quietly  on  foot.  When  he  met 
his  coachman  coming  again,  he  said:  "Again  I 
gave  you  a  useless  ride  :  my  father  had  his  purse 
in  his  pocket,  and  did  not  know  it:  at  his  age 
memory  begins  to  fail.  I  have  given  him  my  car- 
riage and  horse  that  he  may  return  to  his  own 
country,  and  I  am  hurrying  back,  for  I  have  just 
remembered  that  I  ought  to  be  at  the  house  to- 
day." Accordingly  he  mounted  the  horse  the 
coachman  had  ridden,  and  set  off  at  a  gallop. 
On  reaching  home  he  told  his  sister  the  whole 
affair,  and  advised  her  not  to  cry,  or  groan,  or 
appear  sad,  nor  even  to  remain  out  of  sight, 
when  the  mutilated  body  of  her  father  should 
pass  by  on  the  hurdle;  for  if  she  showed  the 
slightest  sign  of  grief,  he  would  be  lost,  and  she 
too.  Soon  the  crowd  was  heard  crying,  "Here 
is  the  thief  who  stole  the  king's  treasure!"  All 
the  people  ran  to  the  doors  of  the  houses,  and  a 
great  crowd  followed  the  headless  body,  and  no 
one  could  say  who  he  was.     When  they  passed  by 


THE  SKILFUL  THIEF  15 

Efflam's  house,  he  also  was  on  his  doorsteps,  with 
his  sister  by  his  side.  But  Hénori,  not  being 
able  to  endure  the  sight,  uttered  a  cry  and  ran 
into  the  house.  Efflam  followed  her,  and  draw- 
ing his  dagger  he  wounded  her  hand  with  it. 
Two  soldiers  presented  themselves  and  said, 
"We  have  heard  cries  of  grief  in  this  house." 
"Yes,"  said  Efflam;  "it  was  my  sister,  who  had 
just  cut  herself  with  my  knife,  and  was  crying 
out;  see  how  it  is  bleeding."  And  true  enough, 
there  was  the  poor  girl  all  bleeding  and  crying. 
The  soldiers  withdrew. 

This  plan  not  having  succeeded,  the  king 
thought  of  another.  He  had  the  body  of  the  thief 
hung  up  on  a  nail  fixed  in  the  wall  of  his  palace, 
and  set  guards  to  watch  near  by,  feeling  sure  that 
when  night  came  the  friends  and  relatives  of  the 
thief  would  try  to  carry  off  his  body.  When 
Efflam  saw  this,  he  disguised  himself  as  a  wine 
merchant,  loaded  an  ass  with  leather  bottles  of 
wine  mixed  with  a  narcotic,  and  went  with  it,  ac- 
companied by  his  sister,  along  under  that  side  of 
the  palace  wall  where  the  body  of  his  father  was 
suspended.  With  a  movement  of  his  shoulder, 
he  made  the  bottles  fall  off,  and  one  of  them, 
which  he  had  prepared  for  that  purpose,  came 
unstopped.  He  and  his  sister  began  to  cry  and 
call  for  help.  The  guards  ran  to  them,  helped 
them  to  reload  their  ass,  and  received  for  reward 


i6  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

the  bottle  which  had  become  unstopped  in  falling, 
but  which,  nevertheless,  was  still  more  than  half 
full.  Efflam  and  his  sister  then  continued  on 
their  way.  But  they  retraced  their  steps  about  a 
ha  If -hour  later,  and  found  the  guards  stretched 
upon  the  ground  and  sleeping  as  soundly  as  if 
they  were  dead.  "All  right,"  said  they.  Then 
they  went  to  a  monastery  near  by  and  pretended 
to  sell  them  some  excellent  wine  very  cheap.  By 
means  of  the  wine  they  made  the  monks  all  sleep 
soundly,  from  the  abbot  to  the  porter,  and  took 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  bury  their 
father's  body  in  holy  ground  in  the  cemetery  of 
the  monastery.  Then  they  changed  the  cloth- 
ing of  the  monks  and  soldiers,  so  that  the  monks 
were  dressed  as  soldiers,  and  the  soldiers  as 
monks.  Next  morning,  when  the  hour  for 
matins  came,  the  monks  dragged  themselves  to 
the  chapel,  only  half  awake  and  not  seeing  very 
clearly.  The  first  one  who  perceived  the  singular 
dress  of  the  abbot  was  at  first  utterly  confounded. 
He  rubbed  his  eyes,  thinking  he  did  not  see  well. 
But  as  he  continued  to  see  before  him  a  soldier 
and  not  a  monk,  he  touched  his  next  neighbor 
with  his  elbow  and  said,  "Do  you  see  how  our  ab- 
bot is  dressed?  What  does  it  mean?"  The 
monk  next  him  was  in  turn  also  greatly  aston- 
ished, but,  looking  at  those  who  stood  on  each 
side  of  the  abbot,  they  discovered  that  thev  too 


THE  SKILFUL  THIEF  17 

were  dressed  like  soldiers;  then  they  looked  at 
the  whole  line  of  monks  opposite  them  on  the 
other  side  of  the  choir;  and  at  last  they  looked  at 
each  other,  and  found  that  all  were  in  soldiers' 
uniform.  What  could  it  mean?  It  was  doubt- 
less the  work  of  the  evil  spirit!  Then  the  chant 
and  prayers  ceased,  and  they  began  trying  to  un- 
ravel the  mystery. 

On  the  other  hand,  when  the  captain  came  in 
the  morning  to  inspect  the  soldiers  set  to  guard 
the  body  of  the  thief,  he  also  wras  greatly  aston- 
ished to  find  them  all  sleeping  profoundly,  and 
habited  as  monks.  Worse  still,  the  body  of  the 
thief  was  gone.  He  flew  into  a  great  passion, 
swore  and  raged,  and  kicked  the  soldiers  till  they 
awaked.  The  report  spread  rapidly  through  the 
city  that  the  body  of  the  thief  who  stole  the  king's 
treasure  had  been  carried  off,  and  that  the  sol- 
diers set  to  guard  it  had  been  found  in  the  morn- 
ing dead  drunk,  and  disguised  as  monks;  while 
the  monks  of  the  neighboring  monastery,  equally 
drunk,  wore  the  uniform  of  the  soldiers.  It  was 
undoubtedly  a  fresh  trick  of  an  accomplice  of  the 
thief  who  had  been  caught.  It  made  a  great  stir 
in  the  city,  and  every  one  laughed  heartily. 

"I  am  mocked  again,"  said  the  king,  when  he 
heard  what  had  taken  place.  "It  must  be  ac- 
knowledged that  this  is  a  very  skilful  thief;  but 
all  the  same,  I  mean  to  find  out  how  far  his  skill 


i8  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

goes,  for  I  hope  soon  to  foil  it."  Then  he  caused 
notice  to  be  given  through  the  city  that  he  would 
the  next  day  exhibit  in  the  public  square  before 
his  palace  a  beautiful  white  goat  of  which  he  was 
very  fond,  and  that  if  the  thief  could  succeed  in 
taking  it  away,  it  should  be  his. 

"That's  good,"  said  Efflam  to  himself  when  he 
heard  the  notice.  "The  king's  white  goat  will  be 
mine  to-morrow  before  the  sun  goes  down." 

Next  day  the  white  goat  was  in  fact  exhibited 
on  the  square  in  front  of  the  king's  palace,  and 
a  great  crowd  gathered,  curious  to  know  how  the 
thief  would  manage  to  take  it  away  in  spite  of  the 
soldiers  who  guarded  it.  The  king  himself  was 
on  the  balcony  with  the  queen,  and  surrounded  by 
princes,  generals,  and  courtiers. 

Efrlam  put  his  magic  hat  on  his  head,  and  car- 
ried off  the  goat  as  easily  as  possible,  and  without 
any  one's  seeing  or  knowing  anything  about  it. 

"I  am  mocked  again!"  cried  the  king,  in  vexa- 
tion, when  he  saw  that  the  goat  had  disappeared. 
"But  who  can  this  man  be?     He  must  be  a  great 


>->• 


magician,  for  there  is  magic  in  all  this.  Never 
mind  ;  I  will  not  acknowledge  myself  beaten,  and 
I  propose  to  know  how  far  this  will  go." 

Effiam  had  killed  the  king's  goat  as  soon  as  he 
reached  home,  and  told  his  sister  to  use  it  for 
their  own  table  as  long  as  there  was  any  of  it, 
advising  her  to  cook  it  in  the  greatest  secrecy,  and 


THE  SKILFUL  THIEF  19 

not  to  give  the  smallest  portion  of  it  to  any  other 
person,  not  even  to  a  beggar. 

Meanwhile  the  king  thought  of  another  means 
of  testing  the  skill  and  cunning  of  the  thief.  He 
sent  for  a  blind  beggar,  and  told  him  to  go  and 
ask  alms  at  the  door  of  every  house  in  the  city, 
and  to  beg  at  each  door  for  a  bit  of  meat,  which 
he  should  taste  as  soon  as  he  received  it.  If  any 
bit  of  goat's  flesh  was  given  him,  he  should,  with 
a  piece  of  white  chalk,  make  a  cross  on  the  door 
of  the  house  where  he  had  received  it,  and  come 
at  once  and  tell  the  kins'. 


■,-,■ 


The  beggar  at  once  began  his  rounds.  When 
he  came  to  Efflam's  house,  Hénori,  who  had 
doubtless  forgotten  her  brother's  warning,  or  had 
no  fear  of  being  accused  by  a  blind  man  who  knew 
neither  her  nor  her  house,  gave  him  a  morsel  of 
the  king's  goat.  The  blind  man  recognized  it  as 
soon  as  he  had  tasted  it,  and,  unknown  to  the 
young  girl,  who  had  gone  back  into  the  house  as 
soon  as  she  had  ministered  to  his  need,  he  marked 
the  door  with  a  white  cross,  and  hastened  at  once 
to  inform  the  king.  The  latter  sent  four  sol- 
diers to  search  the  house,  the  door  of  which  was 
marked  with  a  white  cross  in  chalk,  with  orders 
to  bring  to  him  immediately  the  inmates  of  the 
house.  But  Eifflam  had  noticed  the  white  cross 
on  his  door,  and  questioned  his  sister,  to  see  if  she 
had   disobeyed  him  in  anything.     Hénori  told 


2o  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

him  she  had  indeed  given  the  remnant  of  their 
last  meal  to  an  old  beggar  who  had  excited  her 
pity,  but  there  was  nothing  to  be  feared  from 
him,  for  he  was  blind.  Efflam,  without  waiting 
to  hear  another  word,  got  a  bit  of  chalk  and 
went  all  about  the  city  drawing  crosses  on  all  the 
doors.  The  soldiers  stopped  at  the  first  door 
where  they  saw  a  cross,  exclaiming,  "Here  it  is!" 
They  entered  and  found  two  old  people,  hus- 
band and  wife,  and  requested  them  to  accom- 
pany them  to  the  king's  palace.  "What  does 
the  king  want  with  us?"  they  asked,  filled  with 
astonishment.  "You  have  stolen  his  treasure  and 
his  goat."  "How  could  we  do  it,"  they  cried, 
overcome  with  fright,  "old  and  feeble  as  we  are? 
It  is  more  than  six  months  since  we  have  set  foot 
out  of  our  house."  The  soldiers,  seeing  them  so 
old  and  so  helpless,  looked  at  each  other,  and  said, 
"These  are  not  the  right  ones;  that  is  evident: 
come,  let  us  see  if  we  do  not  find  a  cross  on  some 
other  door."  So  they  went  out,  and  found  with 
surprise  that  the  doors  of  all  the  houses  in  that 
quarter  of  the  city  were  marked  with  similar 
crosses;  so  they  went  and  told  the  king. 

"What  a  man  this  thief  is!"  said  the  king; 
and  began  to  devise  at  once  some  other  means  of 
catching  him.  The  next  day  he  caused  notice  to 
be  given  throughout  the  city  that  he  would  expose 
his  royal  crown  on  the  public  square  in  front  of 


THE  SKILFUL  THIEF  21 

the  palace,  and  that  it  should  belong  to  the  person 
who  could  steal  it  without  being  caught.  When 
Efflam  heard  that,  he  said  to  himself,  "His  crown 
shall  be  mine  as  well  as  his  goat." 

The  royal  crown  was  exhibited  at  the  appointed 
time  and  place.  A  considerable  crowd  had  as- 
sembled on  the  square,  curious  to  see  if  the  thief 
would  succeed  in  carrying  off  this  also.  The  king 
and  his  court  were  on  the  balcony  of  the  palace, 
and  a  large  number  of  soldiers  mounted  guard, 
with  drawn  swords,  around  the  velvet  cushion  on 
which  the  crown  set.  But  all  these  precautions 
were  vain;  and  Efflam,  wearing  his  magic  hat, 
bore  off  the  king's  crown  as  easily  as  he  had  car- 
ried away  the  goat.  The  old  monarch,  perceiv- 
ing at  last  that  he  had  to  contend  with  the  most 
cunning  thief  in  his  kingdom,  who  was  evidently 
a  great  magician  besides,  perceived  that  it  was 
useless  to  contend  against  him,  and  that  it  would 
be  better  to  win  him  over  and  attach  him  to  him- 
self, than  to  persecute  him.  He  then  proclaimed 
that  he  would  set  his  only  daughter  in  the  same 
place  in  the  square  where  the  white  goat  and  the 
royal  crown  had  been  exposed,  and  that  if  the 
thief  should  succeed  equally  well  in  stealing  her, 
he  would  give  her  to  him  for  his  wife. 

He  was  by  this  time  quite  certain  that  the 
thief  would  stand  this  last  test  as  well  as  all  the 
others. 


22  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

And  true  enough,  Eifflam  bore  off  the  princess 
in  the  same  mysterious  fashion,  without  any  one 
knowing  what  had  become  of  her. 

Then  when  the  king  had  returned  to  his  palace, 
Efflam  repaired  thither  also,  accompanied  by  the 
princess,  and  reminded  the  old  monarch  of  his 
promise.  The  latter  did  not  hesitate  to  keep  his 
word,  and  the  marriage  of  Efflam  and  the  prin- 
cess was  celebrated  with  pomp  and  solemnity. 

Moreover,  the  king,  who  was  a  widower,  took 
for  his  wife  Hénori,  the  sister  of  his  son-in-law, 
and  for  a  whole  month  there  were  holidays  and 
games  and  magnificent  banquets  every  day. 

Related  in  Breton,  by  Vincent  Coat,  a  workman  in  a 
tobacco  factory  in  Morlaix,  Aug.  20,  1876. 


THE  KING'S  THREE  SONS; 

OR, 

The  Hunchback  and  His  Two  Brothers 
a  breton  story 

NCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  king  who 
had  three  sons,  two  of  whom  were  fine, 
handsome  young  men,  and  the  third  was 
a  hunchback  whose  name  was  Alain.  This  last 
was  not  beloved  by  his  father,  who  sent  him  off 
to  the  kitchen  with  the  cooks,  while  the  two  older 
brothers  ate  with  him  at  his  own  table  and  went 
with  him  everywhere. 

One  day  the  old  king  sent  for  his  three  sons, 
and  said  to  them: — 

"You  see  I  am  getting  old,  my  children,  and 
I  want  to  spend  the  rest  of  my  days  in  peace  and 
quiet.  I  wish  to  give  up  my  crown,  with  the  ad- 
ministration of  my  kingdom,  to  that  one  of  you 
three  who  will  bring  me  the  finest  piece  of  linen. 
Set  out,  then,  travel  far  away,  and  return  in  a 
year  and  a  day." 

Thereupon  the  three  brothers  started  off  on 
three  different  routes.  The  two  older  brothers 
had  each  a  fine  horse  to  carry  him,  and  pockets 
full  of  gold  and  silver.     They  went  first  to  see 

23 


24  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

their  sweethearts  and  bid  them  good-by.  But 
there  they  forgot  their  quest,  and  led  gay  lives 
as  long  as  their  money  lasted. 

The  hunchback,  who  had  received  from  his 
father  only  a  six-franc  piece,  and  no  horse, 
walked  and  walked  bravely  on.  When  he  was 
hungry  he  gnawed  a  crust  of  bread,  gathered 
hazel-nuts,  whortleberries,  and  wild  mulberries 
from  the  bushes  along  the  road,  and  drank  out  of 
the  hollow  of  his  hand  from  the  wayside  springs. 
One  day  as  he  was  crossing  a  great  moor  he  heard 
a  clear,  fresh  voice  singing  an  old  song.  He 
stopped  to  listen,  and  said,  "I  must  see  who  it  is 
that  sings  like  that";  and  he  followed  the  sound 
of  the  voice. 

He  soon  came  upon  a  young  girl  of  great 
beauty,  who  addressed  him  thus,— 

"Good  morning,  Alain,  youngest  son  of  the 
king  of  France." 

"You  know  me,  then?"  asked  the  astonished 
prince. 

"Yes,  I  know  you;  I  even  know  where  you  are 
going  and  what  you  seek;  your  father  has  told 
you  and  your  two  brothers  that  he  will  give  up 
his  crown  and  his  kingdom  to  that  one  of  you 
three  who  will  bring  him  the  finest  piece  of  linen  : 
is  it  not  so?" 

"It  is  quite  true,"  replied  Alain,  more  and 
more  astonished. 


THE  KING'S  THREE  SONS  25 

"Well,  your  two  brothers  have  gone  to  see 
their  sweethearts,  and  are  having  a  good  time 
with  them,  without  caring  anything  about  the 
search  for  the  fine  linen.  You,  who  have  no 
lady-love,  have  resolutely  set  to  work,  and  you 
deserve  to  succeed.  Come  with  me  to  my  castle, 
and  I  will  tell  you  what  to  do." 

Alain  followed  her  to  what  she  called  her  cas- 
tle, but  which  was  only  a  miserable  hut  of  mud 
and  clay.  He  remained  there  some  time  with 
her,  and,  before  he  left,  she  gave  him  a  little 
box,  not  larger  than  his  fist,  and  said  to  him, — ■ 

"It  is  time  for  you  to  return  home;  take  this 
little  box,  and  present  yourself  with  confidence 
before  your  father." 

Alain  returned  with  his  box.  When  he 
reached  the  court  of  his  father's  palace,  he  saw 
his  two  brothers  at  the  windows,  quite  happy  and 
content  with  themselves.  They  had  returned, 
with  their  horses  laden  with  fine  pieces  of  linen. 

"See!  Alain  has  come,  too,"  they  cried;  "he 
comes  without  the  smallest  piece  of  linen,  as  ugly 
and  miserable  as  when  he  set  out,  and  has  not 
even  lost  his  hunch  by  the  way!" 

The  two  elder  brothers  then  spread  out  their 
linens  before  their  father.  They  were  very  fine 
and  expensive. 

"And  you,  Alain,"  said  his  father,  "do  you  re- 
fuse to  compete?  for  you  have  brought  nothing." 


26  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

Then  Alain  drew  the  small  box  from  his  pocket, 
and  presented  it  to  his  father,  saying, — 

"Take  this  box,  my  father,  and  open  it." 

The  old  king  took  the  box,  opened  it,  and  im- 
mediately there  fell  out  of  it  a  piece  of  white 
linen,  smooth  to  the  touch,  soft  and  shining  as 
silk.  And  for  more  than  an  hour,  piece  after 
piece  fell  out,  so  that  the  box  seemed  inexhausti- 
ble. 

"Alain  has  won!"  said  the  king.  "My  crown 
is  his!" 

"There  is  sorcery  in  this,"  said  the  two  elder 
brothers,  much  put  out,  "and  there  must  be  three 
trials." 

"I  agree,"  said  the  king,  who  was  much  dis- 
pleased at  the  idea  of  leaving  his  crown  to  a 
hunchback. 

"Give  us  another  test,"  they  cried. 

"Very  well;  to  him  who  brings  me  the  finest 
horse." 

And  the  three  brothers  set  out,  each  by  him- 
self. The  two  older  ones  went,  as  before,  to  see 
their  lady-loves,  and  the  hunchback  took  once 
more  the  road  across  the  moor,  where  he  had  met 
the  beautiful  young  girl  who  had  gained  him  his 
first  victory.  When,  after  much  trouble,  he 
reached  it,  he  heard  the  same  voice  singing  its 
song.  "All's  well,"  said  he,  comforted  and  full 
of  hope.  And  he  hastened  toward  the  singer's 
clay  house. 


THE  KING'S  THREE  SONS  27 

"Good  morning,"  said  he,  as  he  entered;  "I 
have  come  to  see  you  again." 

"Good  morning,  young  son  of  the  king,"  re- 
plied the  young  girl;  "I  know  why  you  have 
come!  Your  brothers,  beaten  in  the  first  con- 
test, have  demanded  that  there  shall  be  three, 
and  the  second  test  is  to  bring  to  your  father  the 
finest  horse." 

"That  is  true;  but  how  can  I  get  a  fine  horse 
without  money?" 

"You  got  the  finest  linen  without  money;  why 
should  you  not  also  have  the  finest  horse  without 
money?  Remain  here  with  me  until  the  time 
comes  to  return,  and  do  not  be  at  all  uneasy." 

Alain  took  courage,  and  remained  with  the 
young  girl.  When  the  day  arrived,  she  gave  him 
another  box,  bidding  him  be  sure  not  to  open  it 
until  he  should  be  in  the  courtyard  of  his  father's 
palace. 

Then  he  departed.  But  he  had  not  gone  far 
when  he  yielded  to  curiosity.  He  opened  his  box 
to  see  what  was  in  it;  and  immediately  a  beautiful 
horse  jumped  out, — swift  as  lightning, — and  dis- 
appeared in  a  moment.  And.  now,  our  young 
man  began  to  cry.  What  should  he  do  now? 
He  resolved  to  return  to  the  young  girl,  as  he 
had  not  gotten  very  far  from  her  house,  and  tell 
her  of  his  misfortune.  His  kind  friend  gave  him 
a  second  box,  bidding  him  again  not  to  open  it 


28  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

until  he  should  be  in  the  court-yard  of  his  fa- 
ther's palace,  and  holding1  it  between  his  knees. 

This  time  he  did  not  open  it.  When  he 
reached  the  court  of  the  palace,  his  two  brothers 
had  been  there  already  some  time,  and  each  of 
them  had  a  magnificent  horse,  of  which  he  was 
very  proud.  When  they  saw  Alain  arrive,  they 
cried, — 

"Here  is  the  hunchback,  at  last;  but  he  has 
no  horse!" 

"I  have  a  box,  as  before,"  answered  Alain, 
drawing  his  box  from  his  pocket. 

"Your  fine  horse  is  in  that,  no  doubt,"  said 
they. 

"Perhaps,"  said  Alain. 

"Open  it,  then,  that  we  may  see  your  mouse." 

Alain  put  his  box  between  his  knees,  opened  it, 
and  immediately  he  found  himself  in  the  saddle 
on  a  superb  horse  with  a  golden  bridle  on  his  head, 
fiery  and  spirited,  and  with  sparks  flying  from  his 
four  feet,  his  nostrils,  and  his  eyes. 

"Alain  has  won  it  this  time,  too,"  cried  the  old 
king,  filled  with  astonishment;  and  his  victory 
was  indeed  so  apparent  that  his  brothers  did  not 
dream  of  disputing  it.  But  they  cried  out  spite- 
fully: "Now  for  the  third  trial.  What  shall  it 
be,  father?" 

"Well,"  said  the  king,  "this  time  to  him  who 
shall  bring  me  the  most  beautiful  princess." 


THE  KINGS  THREE  SONS  29 

Then  the  three  brothers  set  out  again  at  once. 
The  two  elder  ones  went  as  before  to  see  then1  fair 
ladies,  and  Alain  returned  to  his  mysterious 
friend  in  the  great  moor. 

"Good  morning,  young  son  of  the  king,"  said 
she,  seeing  him  return.  "Your  father  has  said 
that  his  crown  shall  be  given  to  that  one  of  his 
three  sons  who  shall  bring  him  the  most  beautiful 
princess." 

"Yes,"  said  the  prince,  "and  I  do  not  even 
know  a  princess." 

"That  makes  no  difference;  stay  here  with  me 
until  the  time  comes  to  present  yourself  to  your 
father,  and  have  faith  in  me." 

So  Alain  remained  again  with  his  friend,  and 
when  the  time  was  come,  she  said  to  him: — 

"Here  is  a  hen  with  a  linen  cloth  on  her  back; 
return  with  it  to  your  father's  house,  and  be  very 
sure  not  to  lose  the  hen  and  the  linen  also." 

"But  shall  I  have  no  princess,  then?" 

"Go  on  with  your  hen,  and  trust  me  for  the 
rest." 

So  Alain  set  out  with  the  hen.  But  as  he  was 
going  through  a  dark  forest,  she  flew  away,  and 
then  he  began  to  cry.  Two  princesses,  one  more 
beautiful  than  the  other,  suddenly  appeared  be- 
side him.  "Why  do  you  weep  thus?"  said  one  of 
them  to  him. 

"I  have  lost  my  hen!"  said  Alain. 


3o  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"If  that  is  all,  be  comforted;  I  will  find  her 
for  you." 

And  sure  enough,  the  hen  came  back  at  a  sign 
from  the  princess,  and  she  still  had  her  linen  on 
her  back.  The  most  beautiful  of  the  princesses 
touched  her  with  the  end  of  a  white  wand  she  had 
in  her  hand,  and  immediately  she  was  changed 
into  a  fine  gilded  carriage  drawn  by  six  superb 
horses.  Alain  saw  his  hunch  suddenly  disap- 
pear, and  found  himself  a  very  handsome  young 
man,  with  magnificent  princely  clothes,  and 
seated  in  the  coach  by  the  side  of  the  less  beauti- 
ful of  the  two  princesses.  The  other,  the  more 
beautiful  one,  was  seated  on  the  coachman's  seat, 
holding  the  reins  and  driving  the  coach.  They 
repaired  in  this  state  to  the  king's  palace.  The 
two  elder  brothers  had  already  arrived  there,  and 
were  waiting  for  the  hunchback  at  the  windows, 
each  having  by  his  side  a  beautiful  princess  of 
whom  he  was  very  proud. 

When  Alain  entered  the  court-yard  with  his 
splendid,  shining  coach  and  his  two  companions, 
it  seemed  as  if  the  sun  himself  had  driven  in 
there  in  his  chariot.  The  two  elder  brothers  and 
their  princesses,  dazzled  by  so  much  light  and 
beauty,  and  bursting  with  envy  at  seeing  the  state 
in  which  their  youngest  brother  returned,  covered 
their  faces  with  their  hands.  The  old  king,  for- 
merly so  cross  and  full  of  pains,  brightened  up 


THE  KING'S  THREE  SONS  31 

again,  and  slowly  descended  to  the  court  to  re- 
ceive Alain  and  his  train. 

"My  crown  and  my  kingdom  are  yours,  my  son 
Alain,"  he  cried. 

Then  he  gave  his  hand  to  the  princesses  to 
help  them  alight  and  led  them  into  the  palace. 
The  two  elder  princes  and  their  princesses  hid 
themselves  for  shame  and  envy. 

However,  they  had  to  come  to  a  great  feast 
which  the  old  king  ordered  to  be  prepared,  and 
to  which  he  invited  all  the  court  and  the  great 
men  of  his  kingdom. 

During  the  feast,  Alain's  beautiful  princess 
put  into  her  apron  a  bit  of  each  of  the  dishes 
served  to  her;  seeing  this,  his  brothers'  princesses 
imitated  her.  When  all  arose  from  the  table, 
she  said  that  she  wished  to  make  a  little  present 
to  each  guest,  and  even  to  the  servants.  And 
putting  her  right  hand  into  her  apron,  which, 
with  her  left  she  held  gathered  up  to  her  breast, 
she  drew  from  it  again  and  again  gold  rings, 
pearls,  diamonds,  and  flowers,  and  distributed 
them  freely,  to  the  great  astonishment  and  sat- 
isfaction of  all. 

The  other  two  princesses  wished  to  imitate  her 
also  in  this;  but,  alas!  instead  of  gold  rings, 
pearls,  diamonds,  and  lovely,  sweet-scented  flow- 
ers, they  drew  out  of  their  aprons,  only  what 
they  had  put  there  —  meat,  sausages,  and  such 


32  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

eatables.  Their  fine  clothes  were  all  soiled  by 
the  grease  and  gravy  which  ran  out  of  them. 
Attracted  by  the  general  bursts  of  laughter,  the 
dogs  and  cats  pursued  them  and  tore  their 
dresses  to  pieces.  They  ran  away  with  their 
lovers,  filled  with  rage  and  confusion,  and  ap- 
peared no  more. 

Soon  afterward  the  marriage  of  Alain  and  his 
beautiful  princess  was  celebrated,  and  the  holi- 
days and  plays  and  feasts  continued  for  a  whole 
month. 

Told  by  Marguerite  Philippe,  July  21,  1871. 

F.  M.  Luzel. 


THE  HARE,  THE  BEAR,  AND 
THE  FOX 


I 


1HERE  was  a  young  soldier  named 
Hervé  Laz-Bleiz.  When  he  returned 
from  the  war  in  far  away  lands,  his 
father  and  mother  were  dead.  He  had  no 
brother,  but  he  had  a  young  sister  named 
Hénori.  Their  parents  had  left  them,  for  their 
entire  inheritance,  a  cow  and  two  sheep.  Hervé 
said  to  Hénori, — 

"Let  us  sell  the  cow  and  the  sheep,  and  go  to 
seek  our  fortunes  somewhere  else,  instead  of  re- 
maining here  in  poverty." 

The  cow  and  the  sheep  were  sold;  then  the 
brother  and  sister  set  out  on  their  journey,  by 
the  grace  of  God.  After  having  walked  a  long 
time  and  gone  very,  very  far,  they  found  them- 
selves one  day  in  a  great  forest,  in  the  midst  of 
which  there  was  an  old  castle  surrounded  by  high 
walls.  They  gained  entrance  to  the  court,  creep- 
ing in  under  the  door,  but  saw  no  one.  The 
castle  door  stood  open.  They  entered  and  found 
themselves  in  a  hall,  but  no  one  was  there.  But 
they  saw  on  a  table  meals  which  were  quite  hot, 

33 


34  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

and  the  odor  of  them  was  delicious.  They  were 
very  hungry,  and  they  looked  at  each  other  out 
of  the  corners  of  their  eyes,  and  their  mouths 
watered.  They  remained  silently  standing, 
waiting  for  some  one  to  come,  of  whom  they 
might  ask  hospitality. 

But  they  waited  in  vain;  no  one  came,  and 
the  castle  appeared  to  be  abandoned.  Seeing 
this,  Hervé,  who  was  not  very  timid,  said  to  his 
sister, — 

"Upon  my  word,  it  is  useless  to  wait  longer, 
and  it  is  a  shame  to  let  such  a  good  dinner  get 
cold;  let  us  seize  the  opportunity,  and  eat  and 
drink,  and  then  we  shall  see  what  will  happen." 

They  seated  themselves  at  the  table,  and  ate 
and  drank  with  good  appetites,  without  any  one 
coming  to  interrupt  them.  Hénori,  who  was  at 
first  much  frightened,  became  quite  brave  when 
she  had  drank  a  glass  or  two  of  the  excellent  wine 
she  had  found  on  the  table;  and  as  for  Hervé, 
who  had  drank  much  more,  he  already  dreamed 
of  being  master  of  the  chateau,  and  thought  it 
would  be  a  great  pity  to  leave  a  hotel  when  he 
was  so  comfortable. 

On  rising  from  the  table,  the  brother  and  sis- 
ter went  through  the  halls  and  rooms.  In  the 
first  room,  they  found  heaps  of  gold  and  silver; 
in  the  second,  more  gold  and  silver;  in  the  third, 
there  were  guns,  and  pieces  of  linen  and  stuff 


THE  HARE  AND  THE  FOX  35 

goods,  and  men's  clothing  of  all  shapes  and  sizes. 

"It  is  a  den  of  robbers,"  said  Hervé,  when  he 
saw  all  this.  "They  have  gone  off  on  some  ex- 
pedition, and  will  doubtless  soon  return.  But 
since  we  are  here,  and  these  are  good  arms,  let 
us  take  possession  of  them  and  all  the  treasure 
will  be  ours." 

And  they  began  to  prepare  themselves,  as  well 
as  possible,  to  stand  a  siege.  They  barricaded 
the  doors  and  window  casements,  loaded  all  the 
guns,  and  sat  down  to  wait. 

About  two  or  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  the 
robbers  returned,  laden  with  booty  and  all  drunk. 
Hervé  and  Hénori,  each  stationed  at  a  window 
on  the  first  floor,  and  having  near  them  a  great 
many  guns  all  loaded,  began  immediately  to  fire 
on  them.  The  robbers  threw  themselves  against 
the  door,  raging  and  swearing.  But  they  could 
not  break  it  open,  and  Hervé  and  his  sister  killed 
one  with  each  discharge  of  their  guns,  so  that 
the  number  rapidly  diminished.  At  last,  seeing 
that  their  efforts  were  in  vain,  all  those  who  re- 
mained still  unhurt,  retired,  leaving  the  court- 
yard strewn  with  dead  and  wounded. 

Hervé  and  Hénori  passed  the  day  in  strength- 
ening the  barricades  of  the  doors  and  windows 
and  reloading  their  guns,  for  they  were  sure  the 
robbers  had  gone  to  seek  reinforcements,  and 
would  return  to  give  them  another  charge.     And 


36  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

they  were  not  mistaken,  for  they  returned,  hav- 
ing mustered  up  some  comrades.  It  was  now 
broad  daylight,  so  that  Hervé  and  his  sister,  each 
stationed  at  a  window  on  the  first  floor,  could  see 
clearly  through  the  holes  they  had  made  in  the 
shutters,  and  they  struck  down  one  at  each  dis- 
charge of  their  guns.  They  shot  so  well  that 
they  finally  killed  them  all,  except  two  or  three 
wounded  ones,  who  ran  away. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  third  attack.  But 
this  time  the  robbers  were  all  killed,  every  single 
one. 

And  now,  Hervé  and  Hénori  were  in  posses- 
sion of  the  castle  and  all  the  treasure  it  contained. 
However,  they  did  not  dare  go  out  for  several 
days.  But  when  they  saw  that  no  more  robbers 
came  to  trouble  them,  they  grew  bolder,  and 
visited  the  gardens  and  all  the  apartments  of  the 
castle,  and  everywhere  they  found  treasures  and 
provisions  of  every  kind.  So,  seeing  that  every- 
thing needful  was  provided,  they  determined  to 
take  up  their  abode  there. 

The  wood  which  surrounded  the  castle  was 
full  of  all  sorts  of  game.  Hervé  went  hunting 
there  every  day,  often  with  his  sister  and  some- 
times alone.  One  day  when  he  went  out  alone, 
he  ran  across  a  fine  hare  and  aimed  at  it  to  kill  it, 
when  he  was  perfectly  astonished  to  hear  the 
animal  say  to  him,  as  plainly  as  if  it  had  been  a 
man, — 


THE  HARE  AND  THE  FOX  37 

"Do  not  kill  me,  Hervé." 

"What!  do  you  know  me,  you  poor  beast  of 
the  good  God?" 

"Yes,  I  know  you,  and  I  may  perhaps  be  use- 
ful to  you  some  day." 

"Very  well!  come  with  me  then." 

And  he  went  on,  followed  by  the  hare. 

Farther  on  he  saw  a  fox,  and  aimed  at  him 
also,  but  the  fox  said,  as  the  hare  had  done, — 

"Do  not  kill  me,  Hervé,  and  I  will  pay  you 
back  some  day." 

"Am  I  then  known  to  all  the  beasts  of  this 
wood?"  said  Hervé,  and  he  lowered  his  gun  and 
told  the  fox  to  follow  him  as  well  as  the  hare. 

A  little  farther  on  he  saw  a  bear  and  aimed  at 
his  jaw.     But  the  bear  said  to  him,  also, — 

"Do  not  kill  me,  Hervé,  and  I  will  pay  you 
back  some  day." 

"Good!  come  on;  follow  me  and  let  us  see  what 
will  happen." 

He  continued  to  hunt  until  the  evening,  and 
killed  so  much  game  that,  not  being  able  to  carry 
it  himself,  he  put  it  on  the  back  of  the  bear. 
Then  they  started  on  the  road  to  the  castle.  On 
the  way,  the  bear  ate  the  game,  and  the  fox,  see- 
ing him,  said  to  Hervé,  "Master,  the  bear  is  eat- 
ing your  game."  Hervé  threatened  to  shoot  the 
bear,  who  growled  and  promised  not  to  eat  any 
more.     When  the  four  had  reached  the  castle 


38  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

walls  the  hare  said  to  Hervé,  "Master,  do  you 
know  that  your  sister  is  in  her  room  with  the 
chief  of  the  robbers?" 

"How  can  you  say  so?  We  killed  all  the  rob- 
bers." 

"No  matter,  their  chief  still  lives  and  he  comes 
every  day  to  see  your  sister,  while  you  are  out 
hunting.  Look  out  for  them,  for  they  are  think- 
ing of  betraying  you  and  getting  rid  of  you." 

"My  sister  loves  me,  and  I  do  not  believe  a 
single  word  you  tell  me." 

"Your  life  is  in  danger,  I  assure  you;  but  leave 
it  to  me:  I  will  save  you." 

"Very  well,  I  leave  it  to  you,  and  we  shall 
see. 

"When  he  knows  that  you  are  in  the  castle,  he 
will  hide  himself  somewhere,  so  that  he  may 
strangle  you  in  the  night  while  you  sleep.  But 
as  soon  as  we  enter,  you,  fox,  who  have  such  a 
good  nose,  you  go  sniff  all  around  to  find  where 
he  is  hid;  then  when  you  have  found  him,  come 
and  tell  me  and  we  will  see  about  it." 

They  entered  the  castle.  Hervé  remained  in 
the  kitchen  with  the  hare  and  the  bear,  and  the 
fox  went  on  the  search  for  the  chief  of  the  rob- 
bers, sniffing  and  ferreting  around  everywhere 
with  his  pointed  snout.  He  discovered  him  in  an 
empty  cask  and  came  to  inform  his  comrades. 

"Go,  bear,"  said  the  hare,  "go  with  the  fox, 
and  bring  him  to  us." 


THE  HARE  AND  THE  FOX  39 

The  bear  mounted  the  stairs,  following  the  fox 
and  growling  as  he  went.  He  pulled  the  robber 
out  of  the  cask,  and  taking  him  by  one  foot,  he 
dragged  him  down  the  stone  stairway,  his  head 
falling  heavily  on  each  step,  and  laid  him  at 
Hervé's  feet  in  the  kitchen.  When  he  saw  the 
latter,  he  ground  his  teeth  and  tried  to  throw 
himself  on  him.  But  the  bear  prevented  him 
and  tore  him  to  pieces  at  his  master's  order. 
Then  Hénori  was  treated  in  the  same  manner. 

Hervé  continued  to  live  in  the  castle  with  his 
three  animals.  Every  day  they  went  out  hunt- 
ing and  killed  all  the  game  they  could  wish. 

II 

One  day  the  hare  said  suddenly, — 

"I  have  just  had  something  whispered  in  my 
ear! 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Hervé. 

"The  daughter  of  the  king  of  England  is  about 
to  be  taken  to  a  dragon  to  be  devoured  by  him; 
shall  we  go  and  deliver  her?" 

"That  would  be  a  very  perilous  undertaking," 
said  Hervé. 

"Pshaw!"  said  the  bear,  "I  will  undertake  it: 
you  will  see." 

"All  four  of  us,"  said  the  fox,  "can  surely 
see  it  well  put  through." 

"Let  us  go,  then,"  said  Hervé. 


40  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Let  us  go,"  they  all  repeated  at  once. 

So  they  all  four  set  out  together. 

But  the  road  was  long,  and  Hervé,  overcome 
with  fatigue,  could  not  walk  any  farther.  Then 
the  bear  took  him  on  his  back  and  they  went  on. 
At  last  they  reached  England,  and  when  they 
came  to  the  suburbs  of  London,  they  met  the 
procession  which  was  conducting  the  poor  prin- 
cess. All  the  people  of  the  land  were  there,  and 
they  were  grieved  and  weeping  as  though  they 
were  at  a  funeral.  When  thej7  came  to  the  edge 
of  an  immense  plain,  all  bare  and  desolate,  all 
the  people  turned  back  and  left  the  poor  princess 
to  go  on  her  way  alone.  The  cavern  of  the 
dragon  was  in  the  midst  of  this  plain,  and  twice 
a  day  he  threw  out  fire  from  his  seven  mouths, 
and  burned  up  all  vegetation  for  several  leagues 
around. 

The  poor  princess,  abandoned  by  all  the  world, 
went  slowly  on,  sobbing  and  shedding  great  tears. 
Hervé,  who  was  provided  with  a  horse,  joined 
her,  followed  by  his  three  animals,  and  said  to 
her, — 

"Come  with  me  in  the  croup,  dear  lady,  and 
I  will  take  you  where  you  are  going." 

"Alas!"  she  replied,  "I  shall  get  there  only  too 
soon,  and  I  do  not  wish  to  run  to  my  death." 

"Confide  in  me,  mount  to  the  croup  on  my 
horse,  and  I  will  save  vou  from  the  monster,  with 


THE  HARE  AND  THE  FOX  41 

the  aid  of  my  three  companions  whom  you  see." 

And  he  showed  her  the  three  animals  who  were 
following*  him. 

The  princess  mounted,  and  immediately  Hervé 
put  his  horse  at  a  gallop,  for  already  the  dragon 
had  begun  to  throw  out  fire. 

The  hare  had  told  each  one  what  to  do.  He 
had  said  to  the  bear, — 

"You,  bear,  must  drag  the  monster  from  his 
cavern;  and  you,  fox,  fill  your  stomach  with 
water  so  as  to  extinguish  the  fire  which  he  will 
throw  on  us,  while  I  shall  fight  with  my  good 
saber." 

When  they  reached  the  opening  of  the  cavern, 
the  dragon  said, — 

"Here  you  are  at  last,  daughter  of  the  king 
of  England!  I  was  getting  impatient,  and  you 
have  done  well  to  come,  for  I  should  have  re- 
duced your  father's  whole  kingdom  to  ashes  if 
you  had  kept  me  waiting  too  long.  But  I  see 
that  you  have  not  come  alone;  so  much  the  bet- 
ter, for  I  shall  eat  you  all." 

Then,  addressing  Hervé: — 

"Throw  me  the  princess  first." 

"Come  take  her,"  he  replied. 

"Throw  her  to  me,  I  tell  you,  and  at  once!" 

"Come  take  her,  1  tell  you,  if  you  want  her." 

"Throw  her  to  me,  or  I  shall  burn  you  to 
ashes." 


42  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Pshaw!  I  am  not  afraid  of  you." 
And  addressing  his  companions: — 
"Come,  my  friends,  do  your  duty  and  work 
hard." 

Then  the  bear  seized  the  monster  and  dragged 
him  from  his  cave.  Immediately  he  began  to 
throw  fire  from  his  seven  mouths;  but  the  fox 
vomited  over  it  torrents  of  water,  and  the  hare, 
on  his  part,  made  such  frequent  and  terrible 
thrusts  with  his  sword,  that  at  last  they  killed 
the  seven  heads.  "Victory!"  then  cried  Hervé 
and  the  princess. 

They  had  conquered,  in  truth,  but  not  without 
difficulty,  and  the  hare,  the  fox,  and  the  bear,  had 
their  skins  all  torn  and  burned,  and  they  were 
overcome  with  fatigue.  Hervé,  himself,  and  the 
princess  had  suffered  somewhat,  though  they  kept 
at  a  distance.  Moreover,  night  was  approach- 
ing, and  for  many  reasons  they  could  not  think 
of  returning  to  the  city.  They  resolved  then  to 
pass  the  night  in  the  open  plain,  without  shelter. 
Hervé,  fearing  the  effect  of  a  night  spent  in  the 
open  air  upon  the  princess,  whose  constitution  ap- 
peared delicate,  was  much  troubled.  Fortu- 
nately there  were  on  the  plain  great  masses  of 
rocks  to  which  they  repaired,  and  when  the  bear 
had  rolled  together  several  bowlders  so  as  to 
form  quite  a  sheltering  cavern,  they  all  gathered 
there  to  wait  for  the  morning,  except  the  horse, 


THE   BEAR  SEIZED  THE   MONSTER   AND   DRAGGED   HIM    FROM    HIS    CAVE. 


THE  HARE  AND  THE  FOX  43 

who  was  fastened  near  by  and  slept  on  the  sand. 
Then  the  hare  served  as  a  pillow  for  the  prin- 
cess, and  the  bear  slept  at  her  feet  to  keep  them 
warm.  The  fox  was  a  little  indisposed  from 
having  drunk  too  much  water,  in  spite  of  having 
thrown  it  all  up. 

Before  going  to  sleep,  though  very  much  fa- 
tigued, they  talked  a  little  over  the  events  of  the 
struggle  and  their  plans  for  the  future.  It  was 
clearly  understood  that  Hervé  should  marry  the 
princess. 

A  charcoal-burner,  who  was  passing  by,  heard 
a  noise  and  stopped  to  listen.  He  drew  near  the 
rocks,  heard  all  their  conversation,  and  resolved 
to  profit  by  it.  When  they  were  all  fast  asleep, 
he  took  away  the  rock  which  closed  the  entrance 
to  the  grotto,  entered  softly,  cut  off  Hervé's 
head,  and  carried  off  the  princess.  The  hare, 
the  fox,  and  the  bear  were  so  broken  down  by 
fatigue  that  they  heard  not  a  sound.  When 
they  woke  next  morning,  and  saw  Hervé  dead, 
with  his  head  cut  off,  and  the  princess  nowhere 
to  be  seen,  their  astonishment  was  great. 

"How  is  it,  bear,  that  you  who  were  at  the  feet 
of  the  princess  did  not  wake  up?"  said  the  hare. 

"I  was  so  weary,"  replied  the  bear,  "that  I 
slept  like  a  rock." 

"And  you,  fox,  whose  ear  is  so  keen?" 

"And  you,  yourself,  hare,  who  served  as  a 
pillow  for  the  princess?"  replied  the  fox. 


44  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"The  first  thing  to  be  done,"  said  the  hare, 
"is  to  put  our  master's  head  again  upon  his 
shoulders  and  bring  him  to  life  ;  then  we  will  see 
what  has  become  of  the  princess.  Fortunately 
I  know  how  to  make  an  ointment  which  will 
bring  the  dead  to  life,  but  I  shall  need  the  as- 
sistance of  you  both  to  do  this.  You,  bear,  must 
find  and  bring  to  me  the  solitary  worm  which 
is  hidden  a  thousand  feet  under  the  ground;  and 
you,  fox,  bring  me  a  blackbird  and  a  gray  raven 
to  make  my  ointment." 

"But  that  is  not  easy,"  said  the  bear,  "a  thou- 
sand feet  under  the  ground." 

"Suppose  you  go  look  for  them  yourself,"  said 
the  fox. 

"And  would  you  know  how  to  make  the  oint- 
ment?    You  wouldn't,  would  you?" 

"Go,  then,  each  on  your  way,  work,  and  do  not 
return  without  bringing  me  what  I  have  or- 
dered." 

So  the  bear  went  in  one  direction,  growling, 
and  the  fox  took  another  road,  grumbling. 

The  bear  went  all  over  the  plain,  with  his  nose 
to  the  earth,  sniffing  everywhere.  He  stopped 
at  last  and  began  to  dig  up  the  earth.  He  dug 
and  dug  till  he  came  to  the  solitary  worm,  and 
he  seized  it  eagerly  and  carried  it  to  the  hare. 

The  fox  had  run  to  a  forest  which  he  had  per- 
ceived from  a  distance,  mounting  to  it  over  a 


THE  HARE  AND  THE  FOX  45 

mass  of  rocks.  He  stretched  himself  on  his  back 
in  the  bottom  of  a  ravine,  where  there  was  a  little 
running  brook,  his  four  paws  in  the  air  and  his 
mouth  wide  open,  as  if  he  were  dead.  Soon  a 
blackbird  flew  down  upon  him  from  a  tree,  hop- 
ing to  regale  himself.  But  the  make-believe 
snapped  it  up  quickly  and  strangled  it.  He  hid 
it  in  a  bush,  went  a  little  farther,  and  stretched 
himself  under  an  old  oak,  and  pretended  to  be 
dead  again.  After  a  while  a  gray  raven  passed 
by,  crying,  Oak!  oak!  and  seeing  a  dead  fox, 
lighted  on  him,  and  was  caught  like  the  black- 
bird. 

Then  the  fox  also  took  the  fruit  of  his  search 
to  the  hare,  who  immediately  set  about  preparing 
the  ointment.  And  when  it  was  finished  he  said 
to  the  bear, — 

"Come,  bear,  stand  your  master  011  his  feet 
and  keep  him  in  that  position." 

The  bear  stood  Hervé's  body  up. 

"Now,  then,  put  his  head  in  its  place." 

The  bear  took  his  head,  and  put  it  on  facing  the 
wrong  way. 

"Idiot!  see  what  you  are  doing!" 

Then  the  hare  himself  put  it  on  in  the  right 
way,  rubbed  the  wound  and  the  whole  body  with 
his  ointment,  and  the  head  grew  again  on  the 
neck,  life  returned  little  by  little  to  the  whole 
body,  Hervé  opened  his  eyes,  rubbed  them  as  one 


46  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

does  on  awaking,  and  said,  "How  well  I  have 
slept!"  Then  looking  round  and  seeing  only 
the  hare,  the  fox,  and  the  bear, — 

"Where  is  the  princess?"  he  asked. 

The  hare  told  him  all  that  had  happened  and 
he  was  greatly  astonished.  But  the  disappear- 
ance of  the  princess  vexed  him  very  much. 

"Be  comforted,"  said  the  hare  to  him,  "we  will 
find  her  again." 

The  charcoal-burner  carried  her  back  to  her 
father,  the  king  of  England,  and  claimed  to  be 
her  deliverer  and  the  conqueror  of  the  dragon. 
The  old  king  had  promised  the  hand  of  his  daugh- 
ter to  the  man  who  should  deliver  her  from  the 
monster,  whoever  he  might  be.  But  the  prin- 
cess, who  knew  the  treachery  of  the  charcoal- 
burner,  refuses  to  take  him  for  her  husband,  and 
declares  it  is  not  he  to  whom  she  owes  her  life, 
although  the  impostor  shows  the  seven  heads  of 
the  dragon  which  he  has  cut  off  and  brought 
with  him  in  a  sack.  He  has  the  heads,  but  the 
heads  have  no  tongues  in  them,  for  "I  cut  them 
out  myself  and  here  they  are."  Then  he  showed 
them  where  he  had  put  them  in  a  corner  of  the 
grotto,  adding:  "In  spite  of  the  resistance  of  the 
princess,  her  father,  finding  the  proofs  quite 
sufficient,  and  wishing  to  keep  his  word,  has  fixed 
to-morrow  for  the  wedding.  We  have  then  no 
time  to  lose,  and  we  must  set  off  at  once."     So 


THE  HARE  AND  THE  FOX  47 

they  all  four  started  out  on  the  road  to  London. 
Hervé  was  on  horseback,  having  in  the  croup 
the  tongues  of  the  dragon  in  a  bag;  the  hare,  the 
fox,  and  the  bear  followed  him. 

They  stopped  in  a  small  wood  near  the  king's 
palace,  and  the  hare  said  to  his  companions,  "You 
three  remain  here,  and  I  will  go  and  see  what  is 
going  on  in  the  king's  palace." 

Then  he  crept  into  the  palace  and  went  even 
into  the  dining-hall,  where  they  were  at  table 
when  he  arrived.  There  had  been  feasting  and 
rejoicing  every  day  since  the  return  of  the  king's 
daughter  ;  not  only  at  the  palace,  but  in  the  whole 
city. 

The  charcoal-burner  was  betrothed  to  the  prin- 
cess, and  although  she  steadily  refused  to  take 
him  for  her  husband,  the  marriage  was  to  take 
place  the  next  day. 

"Look!  look!  a  hare!"  cried  the  guests,  aston- 
ished. 

The  servants  wrent  in  pursuit  of  it  and  tried  to 
catch  it.  About  to  be  overtaken,  he  jumped  into 
the  princess's  lap,  and  said  in  a  low  voice, — 

"It  is  I  !  Hervé  is  still  alive  and  loves  you 
always!" 

"What!  is  it  you,  poor  animal?" 

And  she  embraced  him  and  gave  him  some 
sweetmeats. 

The  charcoal-burner,  seeing  this,  cried, — 


48  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Drive  it  away,  this  ugly  beast." 

"What  harm  has  he  done?"  said  the  princess, 
wrapping  the  hare  in  the  skirt  of  her  gown. 

"Drive  it  away  quickly,  I  tell  you;  it  is  an  in- 
famous sorcerer." 

"A  sorcerer?"  cried  the  old  king,  much  fright- 
ened. 

"A  sorcerer!  put  him  out  the  door  at  once!" 

And  the  servants,  armed  with  brooms  and 
sticks,  set  to  work  to  drive  away  the  hare. 

But  the  latter  leaped  lightly  through  the  win- 
dow, and  rejoined  his  companions  in  the  woods. 

The  charcoal-burner  urged  the  old  king  to  have 
the  marriage  take  place  the  next  morning.  But 
the  princess  cried  and  implored  her  father  so  con- 
stantly that  the  ceremony  was  deferred  to  the 
day  after. 

The  hare  had  told  Hervé,  as  well  as  the  fox 
and  the  bear,  what  was  going  on  at  the  palace. 

"I,  too,  will  go  there  to-morrow,"  said  the  fox. 

"Take  care  you  are  not  caught,"  said  the  hare. 

"Fear  nothing,  and  be  sure  that  I  shall  not 
return  without  having  had  a  taste  of  the  feast  and 
bringing  you  your  share  also." 

So  the  fox  set  out  the  next  day,  as  he  had  said, 
at  the  hour  for  dinner.  He  also  got  well  into  the 
dining-hall;  but  as  soon  as  the  charcoal-burner 
saw  him  he  rose  and  cried  out,— 

"See!  the  wicked  sorcerer  has  come  back  again. 


THE  HARE  AND  THE  FOX  49 

Drive  him  out  at  once,  or  something  dreadful 
will  happen  to  us!" 

Then  all  the  servants  hunted  down  the  poor 
animal  with  brooms  and  sticks. 

He  leaped  on  the  table,  passed  near  the  prin- 
cess, and  said  to  her,  "To-morrow  we  will  all 
come;  Hervé,  the  hare,  the  bear,  and  I."  Then 
he  jumped  through  the  window.  As  he  passed 
through  the  court  he  snapped  up  a  hen  and  ran 
off  with  her  to  the  wood. 

The  next  day  the  whole  little  company,  Hervé, 
the  hare,  the  fox  and  the  bear,  went  to  the  pal- 
ace. The  bear  marched  at  the  head,  carrying 
Hervé  on  his  back.  The  others  followed,  and 
thus  made  their  way  into  the  banquet  hall. 

Every  one  wished  to  escape  from  this  sight, 
the  charcoal-burner  first  of  all.  But  Hervé, 
raising  his  hand,  said, — 

"Stay!  let  no  one  go  out  for  a  moment,  or  he 
will  have  to  deal  with  my  friend  here."  And 
he  pulled  the  bear's  ear,  who  growled. 

"Do  you  believe,  sire,  that  it  is  this  ugly  char- 
coal-burner here,  this  impostor,  who  has  delivered 
your  daughter  from  the  dragon,  and  are  you  will- 
ing to  give  him  your  daughter's  hand?" 

"I  am  a  man  of  my  word,"  said  the  king. 

"Very  well!  the  man  who  delivered  your 
daughter  from  the  monster  is  not  this  charcoal- 
burner;  it  is  I  who  have  done  it  with  the  aid  of 


So  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

my  friends;"  and  he  pointed  to  his  three  an- 
imals. 

The  charcoal-burner  was  white  as  the  cloth  be- 
fore him. 

"He  has  given  us  his  proofs,"  replied  the  king; 
"he  brought  us  the  seven  heads  of  the  dragon." 

"Very  well;  let  me  see  these  heads  and  I  will 
expose  the  fraud." 

The  king  ordered  the  dragon's  heads  to  be 
brought,  and  a  servant  emptied  them  from  a  bag 
on  the  flags  of  the  hall. 

"Open  their  mouths,"  said  Hervé  then,  "and 
see  if  they  have  tongues." 

The  same  servant  opened  the  jaws  of  the  seven 
heads,  one  after  the  other,  and  not  one  had  a 
tongue;  all  had  been  cut  out. 

"Where  are  the  tongues?"  said  the  king. 

"Here  they  are,"  said  Hervé,  throwing  them 
on  the  table. 

"Yes,  it  is  indeed  he  who  is  my  deliverer,  and 
who  shall  be  my  husband!"  cried  the  princess, 
throwing  herself  on  Hervé's  neck. 

Seeing  that  everything  was  going  against  him, 
the  charcoal-burner  wanted  to  go  out,  but  the 
bear  stopped  the  way. 

Then  the  old  king,  addressing  his  servants, 
said  angrily, — 

"Seize  this  impostor  and  let  him  be  burned!" 

And  they  built  an  enormous  pile  of  fagots,  set 


THE  HARE  AND  THE  FOX  51 

it  on  fire,  and  threw  the  charcoal-burner  into  the 
midst  of  the  flames.  Then  Hervé  married  the 
princess  and  they  had  holidays  and  magnificent 
banquets. 

Told  by  Margaret  Philip,  of  Pluzunet,  1873. 

F.  M.  Luzel. 


PAPA  TIGER  AND  PAPA  SHEEP 

A    CREOLE    STORY 

ALONG,  long  time  ago  the  sheep  was 
feared  by  all  the  animals  on  the  savannas, 
and  in  the  great  forests.  When  he 
passed  along  the  road,  walking  slowly,  his  face 
grave  and  stern,  with  his  long  white  beard  and 
his  curved  horns,  it  was  frightful,  and  the  an- 
imals who  met  him  saluted  him  politely,  then 
ran  away  as  fast  as  their  legs  could  carry  them. 
Had  he  ever  eaten  any  of  his  neighbors?  The 
gossips  of  the  country  dared  not  say  so  posi- 
tively, but  he  looked  so  terrible,  that,  as  they  say, 
it  is  better  to  believe  it  than  to  go  to  see.  By 
degrees,  from  hearing  it  said  that  he  was  to  be 
feared,  he  finally  came  to  believe  it  entirely  him- 
self. Once  when  he  was  stooping  over  a  brook 
to  drink,  he  saw  his  image  in  the  stream,  and 
jumped  three  feet  back,  frightened  at  the  sight 
of  his  beard  and  his  horns. 

A  Tiger,  which  lived  not  far  from  Papa 
Sheep's  hut,  plucked  up  all  his  courage  one  day, 
and  determined  to  make  a  formal  visit  to  his 
neighbor.     He  took  with  him  his  son,  a  little 

52 


PAPA  TIGER  AND  PAPA  SHEEP       53 

tiger  already  able  to  walk  about.  As  far  off  as 
he  could  see  P.apa  Sheep,  he  saluted  him  very 
humbly,  and  when  he  came  near  he  asked  after 
his  family. 

"Neighbor,  I  have  come  to  pay  my  respects  to 
you,  and  my  wife  would  have  been  pleased  to  pay 
her  compliments  to  Madam  Sheep  if  she  had  not 
been  kept  at  home  by  indisposition." 

Papa  Sheep  invited  Papa  Tiger  to  come  into 
his  house.  While  the  two  fathers  conversed 
gravely  on  the  affairs  of  the  country,  little  Tiger 
went  to  play  in  the  garden  with  little  Sheep. 

"Be  very  polite  to  little  Sheep,"  said  his  father 
to  him,  "or  else  he  will  eat  you." 

So  the  two  children  began  to  play  together; 
after  a  moment  or  so  little  Tiger  jumped  on 
little  Sheep  and  threw  him  down  head  over  heels. 
Then  little  Sheep  laughed. 

"Bless  me!  what  little  teeth  you  have!"  said 
little  Tiger  to  him. 

"It  is  so  with  all  my  family;  Papa's  are  all 
like  mine,"  said  little  Sheep. 

This  remark  made  little  Tiger  reflect;  and 
when  the  visit  was  over,  and  father  and  son  had 
left  their  hosts,  little  Tiger  scarcely  waited  for 
Papa  Sheep  to  shut  the  door  before  he  said  to  his 
father, — 

"Papa,  Papa,  little  Sheep  has  very  small  teeth, 
and  he  told  me  that  his  father's  were  no  longer 
than  his  own." 


54  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Hold  your  tongue,  hold  your  tongue,  you 
rascal;  if  Papa  Sheep  should  hear  us,  he  would 
eat  us  both  up." 

Papa  Tiger  resolved,  however,  to  know  the 
truth  of  this  matter.  Certainly,  Papa  Sheep 
had  seemed  to  him  very  fat,  and  only  the  thought 
of  it  made  him  lick  his  moustaches.  But  how 
could  he  see  Papa  Sheep's  teeth?  This  was  not 
easy.  Papa  Sheep  scarcely  ever  opened  his 
mouth  to  speak,  and  his  beard  entirely  covered 
his  lower  lip  and  chin.  However,  the  oppor- 
tunity came  to  the  Tiger  as  it  does  to  all  those 
who  know  how  to  wait.  The  day  that  Papa 
Sheep  and  his  son  returned  his  visit,  while  the 
children  were  playing  outside,  he  was  exceedingly 
polite  to  Sheep,  and  gave  him  a  bottle  of  his 
best  wine,  then  a  second,  and  a  third.  Papa 
Sheep  became  extremely  gay,  and  losing  his  seri- 
ousness, he  opened  his  mouth  wide  so  as  to  en- 
joy his  laugh.  Then  Papa  Tiger  saw  his  guest's 
little  teeth.  Without  hesitation  he  jumped  on 
the  Sheep  and  throttled  him.  Hearing  his 
father  scream,  little  Sheep  ran  off  as  fast  as  he 
could,  and  reached  his  home  before  the  Tiger, 
excited  over  his  first  prey,  had  thought  of  fol- 
lowing him. 

All  day  long  there  were  nothing  but  tears  and 
groanings  in  the  Sheep's  hut.  Mamma  Sheep 
and  her  son  cried  until  it  was  a  pity  to  hear  them. 


PAPA  TIGER  AND  PAPA  SHEEP       55 

Hearing  the  noise  they  made,  the  Queen  of  the 
Birds  came  flying  from  the  great  forest  near  by, 
and  lighting  on  the  roof  of  the  hut,  she  asked 
Mamma  Sheep  the  cause  of  her  grief. 

"Alas!  kind  lady,  Papa  Tiger  has  eaten  up 
my  poor  husband  !  My  child  and  I  do  not  dare 
to  go  out,  for  he  will  come  prowling  around  here 
to  eat  us  also." 

Touched  by  her  grief,  the  Queen  of  the  Birds 
consoled  her  as  well  as  she  could,  and  promised 
her  a  complete  revenge.  Then  with  a  few  flaps 
of  her  wings  she  soon  reached  the  neighboring 
forest.  All  the  birds  of  the  great  forest  re- 
sponded to  her  appeal  ;  the  large  Aras,  with  their 
brilliant  plumage;  the  Cockatoos,  with  their 
white  crests;  thousands  of  emerald  Paroquets, 
with  coral  beaks;  little  scarlet  and  green  Hum- 
ming-birds, looking  like  precious  stones,  to  which 
God  had  given  wings.  The  Queen  told  them  of 
the  death  of  Papa  Sheep.  "Let  us  swear  to 
avenge  our  good  neighbor,"  cried  she,  "We 
swear  it!"  squalled,  whistled,  and  screamed  the 
birds,  each  in  his  own  language. 

At  this  deafening  noise,  the  Alligators  ran  to 
hide  themselves  in  the  high  grass,  the  Boas  and 
Rattlesnakes  ran  hastily  into  the  hollows  of  the 
trees. 

"Be  confident!"  said  the  Queen  of  the  Birds. 
"To-morrow  is  Sunday;  I  will  give  a  great  feast 


56  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

in  the  forest.  As  soon  as  high  mass  is  over  I 
wish  all  the  birds  of  the  forest  to  assemble.  My 
pretty  Paroquets,  fly  around  and  give  the  invita- 
tions. Get  everything  ready  for  the  feast;  be 
prompt  at  the  appointed  hour,  and  obey  me  in 
everything.  I  will  fly  over  myself  and  invite 
Papa  Tiger." 

Flattered  by  the  visit  of  the  Queen  of  the 
Birds,  Papa  Tiger  promised  to  come  to  the  great 
ball  in  the  forest.  He  put  on  his  finest  clothes, 
curled  his  moustache,  and  before  setting  out  he 
kissed  his  wife  on  her  lips,  and  his  son  on  his  two 
cheeks. 

As  soon  as  they  saw  him  come  the  Queen  of 
the  Birds  cried  to  all  her  subjects, — 

"Take  your  places  quickly,  form  the  quadrilles, 
and  let  each  one  of  you  begin  to  dance,  hiding  his 
head  under  his  wing.     Music,  play!" 

And  the  orchestra  played, — 

"Tig,  tig,  malinboin 
La  chelema  che  tango 

Redj  oum 
La  chelema  che  tango!" 

The  Queen  of  the  Birds  flew  down  before 
Papa  Tiger,  and  bade  him  welcome.  How 
splendid  the  feast  was!  Papa  Tiger  was  daz- 
zled by  it!  Long  lines  of  birds  with  rich  plum- 
age placed  themselves  opposite  each  other.    "The 


PAPA  TIGER  AND  PAPA  SHEEP       57 

quadrille  is  beginning  now,"  said  the  Queen; 
"you  shall  be  my  cavalier."  Papa  Tiger  stood 
up  beside  his  partner,  and  the  orchestra  played, — 

"Tig,  tig,  malinboin 
La  chelema  che  tango 

Redj  oum 
La  chelema  che  tango  !" 

At  once  the  birds,  their  heads  under  their 
wings,  began  to  dance  to  the  music.  The  Queen 
also  hid  her  head,  and  when  Papa  Tiger,  proud, 
a»nd  marching  with  his  head  high,  was  about  to 
make  the  first  turn,  she  cried, — 

"But,  Papa  Tiger,  you  don't  understand!  It 
is  the  custom  at  my  court,  that  in  order  to  take 
part  in  the  dance,  you  must  have  no  head.  Look 
at  all  my  invited  guests;  they  would  consider 
they  had  been  wanting  in  the  manners  of  distin- 
guished society,  indeed,  in  the  simplest  polite- 
ness, if  they  dared  raise  their  heads  before  their 
sovereign.  So,  my  friend,  do  as  they  do,  and 
you  will  then  be  able  to  move  with  distinction  in 
the  quadrille  of  the  Queen  of  the  Birds." 

Papa  Tiger  blushed  red  with  shame. 

"My  Queen,"  he  cried,  "I  beg  your  pardon 
humbly  for  this  breach  of  etiquette.  I  am  a 
wild  hunter,  accustomed  to  pass  entire  nights  on 
the  watch,  and  I  am  ignorant  of  the  customs  of 
courts.     Kindly  promise  me  a  quadrille  and  I 


58  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

will  return  in  a  moment  in  the  attitude  that  you 
require." 

With  a  few  bounds  Papa  Tiger  was  at  home. 
He  said  to  his  wife, — 

"My  wife,  in  order  to  have  the  honor  of  danc- 
ing with  the  Queen  of  the  Birds,  it  is  essential 
to  have  no  head;  I  saw  all  the  guests  dancing  in 
that  condition.  It  is  the  etiquette  of  the  court. 
Take  this  axe  and  cut  off  my  head." 

"You  have  lost  it  already,  my  poor  husband," 
said  Mamma  Tiger.  "Instead  of  dancing  with 
Queens,  you  would  do  better  to  stay  at  home  with 
your  wife  and  children.  I  do  not  like  husbands 
who  leave  their  wives  in  the  lurch  and  pass  the 
night  at  balls." 

"If  you  do  not  obey  me,"  growled  the  Tiger, 
in  a  rage  at  being  scolded  by  his  wife,  "I  will 
strangle  you  this  moment." 

Then  Mamma  Tiger  seized  the  axe,  and  with 
one  blow  cut  off  her  husband's  head.  It  killed 
him  outright,  as  you  may  imagine. 

Two  Paroquets,  waiting  in  ambush,  flew  off 
rapidly  to  carry  the  news  of  the  Tiger's  death  to 
the  Queen  of  the  Birds.  Then  the  birds  all  took 
their  heads  from  under  their  wings  ;  all  the  beasts 
of  the  forest  were  brought  in;  each  of  them 
wished  in  his  turn  to  embrace  Mamma  Sheep  and 
her  son.  After  that,  they  formed  a  line  to  dance 
and  the  orchestra  began  to  play  : — 


PAPA  TIGER  AND  PAPA  SHEEP       59 

"Tig,  tig,  malinboin 
La  chelema  che  tango 

Red  j  oum 
La  chelema  che  tango  !" 

It  would  be  impossible  to  tell  you  how  they 
leaped,  how  they  fluttered  !  At  last  it  was  neces- 
sary to  go  away,  for  everything  comes  to  an  end 
in  this  lower  world;  but  before  doing  so,  they 
took  up  a  collection  and  gave  the  money  to  little 
Sheep  and  his  mother. 

Sheep,  and  you  children  who  hear  me.  let  the 
death  of  Papa  S'heep  be  a  lesson  to  you  ;  it  is  bet- 
ter not  to  open  your  mouth  than  to  laugh  with 
people  you  know  nothing  about. 

Loys  Bruyère. 


JOHN  BIT-OF-A-MAN 

A    STORY    OF   THE   DISTRICT   OF   METZ 

ONCE  there  was  a  woman  who  had  a  little 
son  who  was  extremely  small;  so  very 
small  that  she  named  him  John  Bit-of- 
a-man.  One  day  she  called  him  to  her  and 
said, — 

"Come,  take  this  to  your  father  who  is  work- 
ing down  there  in  the  fields,  and  when  you  get 
to  him,  say:  'See,  father!  here  is  your  buttered 
roll!'" 

"I  will,  mother,"  said  John  Bit-of-a-man  ;  and 
all  along  the  way  he  repeated  the  words  so  as  not 
to  forget  them:  "See,  father!  here  is  your  but- 
tered roll;  see,  father!  here  is  your  buttered  roll!" 

When  he  reached  his  father,  who  was  occupied 
in  repairing  the  ditches,  he  took  up  his  refrain: 
"See,  father!  here  is  your  buttered  roll." 

The  good  man,  hearing  some  one  speak,  looked 
around  him  on  every  side,  but  saw  no  one  ;  at  last, 
however,  he  spied  little  John  Bit-of-a-man  in 
the  grass  at  his  feet. 

"Ah!"  said  he,  "it  is  you,  is  it?     What  do  you 

want?" 

6q 


JOHN  BIT-OF-A-MAN  61 

"I  have  brought  you  a  buttered  roll,"  said 
John  Bit-of-a-man. 

"You  are  very  good,  my  child,  to  bring  me  this 
buttered  roll;"  and  taking  it  in  his  hands  he  ate 
it  all  up,  without  offering  John  Bit-of-a-man  a 
mite. 

"The  glutton!  he  did  not  give  me  any!  The 
glutton!  he  did  not  give  me  any!"  groaned  John 
Bit-of-a-man. 

Some  time  after  that,  a  lord  passed  by.  He 
called  to  the  laborer,  "You  have  a  pretty  little 
boy;  will  you  sell  him  to  me?" 

"I  will,  gladly." 

"How  much  will  you  take?" 

"A  hundred  crowns." 

"A  hundred  crowns  you  shall  have." 

The  bargain  concluded,  the  lord  put  John  Bit- 
of-a-man  in  his  pocket  and  went  on  his  way.  At 
the  end  of  an  hour,  the  child  put  his  head  out  of 
the  pocket  and  begged  his  master  to  put  him 
down  on  the  ground  for  a  moment  as  he  felt  faint. 
The  lord  was  good  enough  to  listen  to  him,  and 
in  a  moment  John  Bit-of-a-man  glided  under  a 
heap  of  leaves  and  his  master  could  not  find  him. 
John  Bit-of-a-man,  being  free  once  more,  went 
back  to  his  father. 

A  few  days  after  that,  the  lord  again  passed 
by  the  laborer,  who  was  still  repairing  the  ditches. 
"You  have  a  pretty  little  boy  there,"  said  he; 
"will  you  sell  him  to  me?" 


62  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"I  will,  gladly." 

"How  much  will  you  take?" 

"A  hundred  crowns." 

"A  hundred  crowns  you  shall  have." 

The  bargain  concluded,  the  lord  clapped  John 
Bit-of-a-man  into  his  pocket.  At  the  end  of  an 
hour  the  child  put  his  head  out  of  the  pocket  and 
begged  his  master  to  put  him  down  on  the  ground 
awhile  as  he  felt  cramped. 

"Well,  stay  in  my  pocket  and  be  cramped!" 
said  the  lord,  who  remembered  how  he  had  been 
caught  before. 

When  he  reached  his  castle,  he  took  John  Bit- 
of-a-man  out  of  his  pocket  and  put  him  in  a 
basket  which  he  suspended  from  the  kitchen  ceil- 
ing, and  told  him  to  watch  everything  he  saw  go- 
ing on,  and  tell  him  faithfully  all  that  he  saw. 

John  Bit-of-a-man  agreed  to  do  this,  and  each 
day  he  told  his  master  all  that  he  saw  and  heard. 

One  day  our  hero  leaned  his  little  head  over 
the  edge  of  the  basket,  so  he  could  see  around 
him,  and  a  servant  saw  him  and  said  to  him, — 

"So  it  is  you  who  watch  us,  you  little  wretch! 
It  is  you  who  tell  the  master  all  that  happens! 
Very  well!  you  shall  pay  for  it!" 

Amid  the  applause  of  his  companions,  the  ser- 
vant took  down  the  basket,  seized  the  poor  little 
fellow  by  the  hair,  and  threw  him  into  the  horse- 
trough.  That  same  day  an  ox  went  there  to 
drink,  and  swallowed  him  whole. 


JOHN  BIT-OF-A-MAN  63 

At  the  end  of  a  week,  the  lord  had  the  ox  killed 
for  a  great  feast  that  he  made  ;  the  entrails  were 
thrown  out  into  the  road.  An  old  woman  pass- 
ing by  saw  the  entrails.  "Qh!  what  splendid 
entrails!  What  a  pity  to  throw  them  away!" 
and  so  saying,  she  clapped  them  into  the  basket 
which  she  carried  on  her  back.  She  had  not 
taken  many  steps,  when  she  heard  a  noise  that 
came  from  her  basket  saying, — 

"Toe  !  toe  ! 
The  devil's  imp  is  in  your  basket  ! 

Toe  !  toe  ! 
The  devil's  imp  is  in  your  basket  !" 

The  old  woman  threw  down  her  basket,  and  ran 
away  frightened. 

A  hungry  wolf  came  along  who  seized  on  the 
entrails  with  avidity,  and  John  Bit-of-a-man  was 
once  more  swallowed  alive. 

As  the  wolf  was  crossing  the  plain,  he  heard  a 
voice  which  came  from  the  inside  of  his  body 
cry  out, — 

"Help!  shepherd!  help!  here  is  the  wolf  that 
devours  your  sheep." 

"Be  quiet!  you  cursed  stomach;  be  quiet! 
cursed  stomach!"  said  the  wolf  in  desperation. 

"I  will  not  hold  my  tongue  until  you  have  put 
me  down  at  my  father's  door,"  answered  John 
Bit-of-a-man. 

"Very  well;  I  will  go  there,"  said  the  wolf. 


64  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

When  they  got  there,  John  Bit-of-a-man  got 
out  of  the  wolf's  stomach,  and  ran  quickly  into 
the  house,  passing  by  the  cat's  hole  ;  at  the  same 
moment,  seizing  the  wolf  by  the  tail,  he  cried, 
"Come,  father,  come,  I  have  got  the  wolf  by  the 
tail."  His  father  ran  to  him,  killed  the  wolf 
with  one  stroke  of  his  axe,  and  sold  his  skin. 

Restored  to  his  home  again,  John  Bit-of-a-man 
lived  ever  after  happy  and  peaceful. 

Told  by  Madam  Richet,  aged  77,  at  Woippy,  near  Metz. 

Nérée  Quepat. 


LONG  TIME 

A   STORY    OF    C  ARA  Y  AC     (QUERCY) 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  man  who 
was  not  rich,  but  by  dint  of  hard  work 
he  had  saved  up  a  little  sum.  Every 
day  when  he  went  to  his  work,  he  said  to  his 
wife, — 

"Take  care  of  this  money.  It  is  for  the  long 
time." 

The  woman,  as  soon  as  he  was  gone,  would 
take  pleasure  in  counting  over  the  crowns  and 
the  sous.  One  day  when  she  was  alone  in  her 
house,  counting  her  money  as  usual,  a  beggar 
came  by  and  asked  her  for  charity. 

"Alas!  poor  man,"  said  she,  "we  are  very  poor; 
I  have  nothing  to  give  you." 

"What!"  said  he,  "and  all  those  beautiful 
crowns  and  those  sous  that  you  have  there! 
Could  you  not  give  me  some  of  those  for  char- 
ity?" 

"I  wish  I  could,"  said  the  woman,  "but  we  are 
keeping  this  for  the  long  time." 

"The  long  time?"  said  the  beggar;  "I  am  the 
long  time." 


66  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Ah!  if  you  are  the  long  time,  that  is  another 
thing.     Take  some,  take  some." 

The  beggar,  not  at  all  ashamed,  pocketed  the 
whole  sum,  leaving  not  a  farthing  or  a  mite,  and 
went  away  satisfied  with  his  windfall,  as  you  may 
imagine. 

The  husband  returned.  "Long  Time  came," 
said  the  wife,  "and  I  gave  him  the  money  that 
we  saved  for  him." 

"Long  Time?  you  miserable  baggage!" 

"Yes;  a  poor  man  who  told  me  that  he  was 
Long  Time.     I  have  given  him  all." 

"Ah!  poor  dunce!  you  let  him  steal  the  sav- 
ings from  you.  Come,  there  is  nothing  left  for 
us  to  do,  but  take  a  wallet  and  go  out  ourselves 
and  beg  from  village  to  village.  Take  your 
clothes  and  let  us  go  forth." 

The  husband  had  nothing  but  what  he  had  on, 
the  wife  not  much  more.  He  went  in  front,  she 
followed. 

"Shut  the  door  tight,"  said  the  husband. 

"Did  you  say  carry  it?" 

"I  said  shut  it." 

"Shall  I  carry  it?" 

"Yes,  carry  it." 

The  obedient  wife  took  the  door  off  the  hinges, 
put  it  on  her  shoulders,  and  followed  her  husband 
towards  the  neighboring  wood. 

Night  came  on.     They  heard  the  noise  of  a 


KZ^tzJW. 


i.lmiljylJBII  '     -  ■* 


THE  OBEDIENT    WIFE    FOLLOWED. 


LONG  TIME  67 

band  of  robbers,  who  were  coming  in  their  direc- 
tion. "Let  us  climb  up  into  a  tree  to  hide,"  said 
the  husband. 

"What  shall  I  do  with  the  door?"  asked  his 
wife. 

"The  door?     Leave  it  there." 

"Shall  I  take  it  up?" 

"Leave  it  there." 

"Shall  I  take  it  up?" 

"Yes,  take  it  up." 

She  climbed  up  after  her  husband  into  a  large 
old  spreading  oak-tree,  dragging  the  door  after 
her.  They  were  scarcely  settled  in  the  branches 
when  the  robbers  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  tree, 
made  a  halt,  opened  their  provisions,  lighted  a 
fire,  prepared  their  supper,  counted  the  booty 
they  had  taken  during  the  day,  and  then  began 
to  eat  and  drink. 

The  wife,  from  the  top  branch,  said  in  a  low 
voice  to  her  husband, — 

"The  door  is  going  to  fall!" 

"Hold  on  to  it,  you  miserable  baggage,  or  we 
are  lost." 

"Shall  I  let  it  go?" 

"Hold  on  to  it!" 

"Shall  I  let  it  go?" 

"Yes,  let  it  go." 

The  woman  let  go  the  door,  which  tumbled 
with  a  great  crash  from  branch  to  branch,  and  fell 


68  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

into  the  midst  of  the  robbers  and  frightened  them 
so  that  they  ran  away  as  fast  as  they  could,  for- 
getting all  their  plunder  and  never  looking  be- 
hind them. 

The  husband  and  wife  came  down,  picked  up 
the  jewels,  the  pieces  of  gold,  and  all  the  booty 
left  by  the  robbers,  and  returned  to  their  house, 
rich  for  the  rest  of  their  lives. 

Marcel  Devic. 


SKILFUL  JOHN 

A   STORY    OF   PICARDY 

NE  day  a  poor  man  sent  his  son,  Skil- 
ful John,  to  carry  some  buttered  rolls 
to  his  parents,  who  lived  three  miles 
off,  telling  him  not  to  stop  by  the  way.  John 
sauntered  along  the  road  and  lost  his  waj^.  See- 
ing a  light,  he  followed  it  and  came  to  a  little 
hut.     He  knocked  at  the  door. 

"Tap  !  tap  ! 
Open  to  a  poor  lost  boy. 

Tap  !  tap  ! 
God  therefor  will  have  great  joy." 

The  door  opened;  an  old  woman  with  a  grin- 
ning face  appeared  and  asked,  "Who  are  you?" 
"I  am  Skilful  John;  will  you  lodge  me  for  the 
night?" 

"If  I  lodge  you,  what  will  you  pay  me?" 
"I  will  give  you  a  piece  of  buttered  roll." 
The  old  woman  made  him  come  in;  he  seated 
himself  in  a  corner  while  the  old  woman  made 
him  some  broth. 

"I  bet,"  said  she  to  him  after  a  few  moments, 


70  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"that  with  my  old  legs  I  can  reach  my  garden 
wall  before  you  do.  If  I  win,  I  will  eat  your 
buttered  roll;  and  if  I  lose,  you  shall  keep  your 
roll,  and  have  my  broth  into  the  bargain." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  child;  and,  darting  out, 
he  soon  reached  the  garden  wall.  But  the  old 
woman,  instead  of  running,  shut  and  bolted  her 
door  and  took  possession  of  the  buttered  roll  that 
John  had  left  on  his  bench.  John  knocked  in 
vain;  the  door  was  not  opened  for  him  a  second 
time  ;  and  as  it  was  raining  very  hard,  he  got  into 
a  bee-hive.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  some 
thieves  came  to  steal  the  hives.  John  heard  a 
voice  say, — 

"Lift  the  hives,  and  take  away  the  heaviest." 

As  the  hive  in  which  John  was,  was  one  of  the 
heaviest,  it  was  taken  away  by  the  thieves,  who 
put  it  in  a  bag. 

When  the  thieves  came  to  a  wood,  they  put 
down  their  burdens,  John  took  his  knife,  made  a 
hole  in  the  bag  and  escaped. 

After  wandering  for  some  time,  he  met  a  shep- 
herd who  gave  him  a  piece  of  bread,  and  took 
him  afterwards  to  sleep  in  the  barn  of  a  farm- 
house. During  the  night  the  floor  fell  in,  and 
John  woke  up  in  a  stable  astride  of  an  ox.  Just 
at  that  moment  the  thieves  were  busy  unfasten- 
ing the  oxen;  seeing  John,  they  took  him  and 
carried  him  away  with  them  to  the  forest.     Not 


SKILFUL  JOHN  71 

wishing  to  kill  him,  they  shut  him  up  in  an  old 
cask  and  abandoned  him  to  his  unhappy  fate.  A 
pack  of  wolves  came  up  to  devour  the  remains  of 
the  thieves'  repast:  one  of  them  passed  near  the 
cask.  John  put  his  hand  out  of  the  bung-hole 
and  seized  him  by  his  tail.  The  frightened  wolf 
fled  through  the  woods,  dragging  behind  him  the 
cask,  which  was  soon  broken  into  a  thousand 
pieces.  John,  once  more  set  free,  went  wander- 
ing around  till  he  came  to  a  hut.  It  was  the 
same  old  woman's  hut.  Its  door  was  only 
latched.  John  entered  softly;  the  old  woman, 
who  was  asleep,  did  not  hear  him.  He  took  his 
buttered  roll  and  ate  all  there  was  left  of  the 
broth,  then  went  out  singing  as  loud  as  he 
could, — 

"Old  woman!  old  woman! 
I  have  eaten  your  broth. 
Old  woman  !  old  woman  ! 
I  am  sharp  enough  !" 

Told  in  Picardy  by  Narcisse  Dufaux,  aged  48  years,  a 
cap-maker  at  Warloy-Baillon  (Somme). 

Henri  Carnoy. 


THE  TAILOR  AND  THE 
HURRICANE 

A   BRETON    STORY 

ONCE  there  was  a  tailor  and  his  wife. 
Tailors'  wives  are  generally  lazy,  and 
this  one  was  like  the  rest.  Her  name 
was  Jeanne  ar  Balc'h  and  her  husband's  name 
was  Iann  troad  scarbet  (John  Cross-foot).  In 
the  morning,  as  soon  as  Jean  had  gone  out  to 
his  work,  Jeanne  got  back  into  bed,  and  when 
she  rose  again,  about  eleven  or  twelve  o'clock, 
she  went  to  gossip  in  the  village,  and  chatted  from 
door  to  door  like  a  magpie.  When  Jean  re- 
turned in  the  evening  she  was  always  at  her  spin- 
ning-wheel; so  he  thought  she  had  not  left  it  the 
whole  day. 

One  morning  Jean  said  to  Jeanne, — 
"I  shall  not  go  out  to-day,  wife,  for  a  day's 
work,  and  we  will  both  go  together  to  the  market 
to  sell  the  yarn;  for  you  must  have  a  great  deal 
by  this  time." 

Jeanne  was  greatly  embarrassed  at  this;  what 
should  she  do?  She  had  not  three  bobbins  of 
yarn.     She  went  to  the  house  of  a  neighboring 

gossip,  and  told  how  it  was. 

72 


THE  TAILOR  AND  THE  HURRICANE       73 

"Tell  your  husband,"  said  the  gossip,  "that 
after  having  washed  your  thread,  you  had  put  it 
to  dry  in  the  oven  of  the  furnace,  and  that  he, 
not  knowing  of  it,  lighted  the  fire  as  usual  and 
burned  up  all  the  thread." 

Jeanne  returned  to  her  house,  and  told  her  hus- 
band, word  for  word,  what  the  gossip  said. 

"Fool!"  cried  Jean  angrily;  "you  must  have 
lost  the  little  sense  you  had,  and  I  shall  never 
be  anything  but  poor  with  you.  Now,  to  pun- 
ish you,  you  shall  sow  in  the  garden  the  half- 
bushel  of  flaxseed  that  we  have  there;  and  this 
evening  when  I  come  home,  the  flax  must  be  ripe, 
reaped,  retted,  dried,  and  put  in  bundles  in  the 
barn." 

"But  my  poor  husband,"  said  Jeanne,  "how 
can  you  talk  in  such  a  way?  No  one  in  the  world 
can  do  this;  and  how  can  you  expect  me  to  do 
it?" 

"You  may  manage  it  as  you  like,"  answered 
Jean;  "but  it  must  be  done  when  I  come  back 
this  evening,  or  woe  to  you!" 

Then  he  went  away  as  usual.  Jeanne,  mucli 
disturbed,  ran  at  once  to  the  house  of  her  gos- 
siping neighbor. 

"If  you  only  knew,  neighbor,  what  my  hus- 
band has  ordered  me  to  do!  He  must  have  lost 
his  senses  completely." 

"What  has  he  ordered  you  to  do?" 


74  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"What  has  he  ordered  me  to  do?  He  says 
that  this  evening  when  he  turns  from  his  day's 
work,  I  must  have  sown  in  our  garden  a  half- 
hushel  of  flaxseed,  and  that,  moreover,  the  flax 
must  be  ripe,  reaped,  retted,  dried,  and  put  in 
bundles  in  the  barn!  I  should  like  to  know  if 
you  do  not  think  he  must  have  lost  his  senses  to 
ask  such  an  impossible  thing  of  me?"  And  she 
cried  as  she  said  this. 

"Be  comforted,  neighbor,"  said  the  other 
woman;  "we  will  find  out  some  way  of  deceiving 
Jean  yet;  he  thinks  himself  cunning,  but  he  is 
only  a  fool.  This  is  what  you  must  do.  I  have 
a  little  flax  in  my  barn  from  last  year.  Take 
two  or  three  bundles  of  it,  and  scatter  it  over  the 
fields  and  meadows  around,  and  hang  some  on 
the  hedges  and  bushes,  and  when  he  returns  in 
the  evening,  you  can  tell  him  that  you  have  done 
all  that  he  ordered  you,  but  that  a  hurricane  came 
while  the  flax  was  drying  in  the  meadow,  and  car- 
ried it  all  away;  and  as  a  proof  of  this  you  can 
show  him  what  is  left  hanging  on  the  trees  and 
bushes." 

This  appeared  to  Jeanne  to  be  an  excellent 
plan;  so  she  took  three  bundles  of  her  neighbor's 
dry  flax,  and  went  and  scattered  it  over  the  fields 
and  meadows,  and  hung  it  on  the  bushes  and  the 
branches  of  the  trees. 

When  Jean  returned  in  the  evening  he  asked  at 
once,  — 


THE  TAILOR  AND  THE  HURRICANE      75 

"Well,  wife,  have  you  done  what  I  told  you, 
this  morning?" 

"Certainly,  I  did  just  exactly  what  you  told 
me;  but  we  have  no  luck,  my  poor  husband." 

"Well,  what  has  happened?" 

"What  has  happened?  Think  of  it!  The 
flax,  after  being  taken  out  of  the  pond  where  it 
had  been  retted,  was  drying  in  the  meadow,  and 
I  was  getting  ready  to  pick  it  up  and  bind  it  in 
bundles  to  put  it  up  in  the  barn,  when  a  hurricane 
came  which  has  carried  it  all  away." 

"Tut,  tut,  tut!  I  do  not  believe  any  such 
stories,"  said  Jean. 

"But,  my  husband,  this  is  not  a  story  at  all; 
come  with  me  and  I  will  show  you  that  it  is  the 
pure  truth." 

And  she  led  him  to  the  field,  where  she  pre- 
tended to  have  spread  her  flax  to  dry,  and  showed 
it  to  him,  scattered  all  over  the  neighboring  fields 
and  meadows,  or  hanging  on  the  bushes  and 
branches  of  the  trees. 

Jean  believed  her  then,  and  he  exclaimed, — 

"Very  well!  since  it  is  the  hurricane  that  has 
done  all  this  damage,  it  is  he  that  shall  pay  for 
it,  and  I  will  go  this  moment  and  complain  to 
the  master  of  the  winds." 

Then  he  went  into  his  house,  took  his  pennbaz, 
a  taste  of  barley  bread  and  some  buttered  rolls, 
and  started  off.     He  traveled  a  long  time;  after 


76  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

going  straight  ahead,  farther  and  farther  off,  he 
came,  one  day,  to  the  foot  of  a  hill  on  which 
there  was  seated  an  old  woman  as  large  as  a 
giantess.  Her  white  hair  floated  in  the  wind, 
and  one  long,  black  tooth,  the  only  one  she  had 
left,  shook  in  her  mouth. 

"Good  morning,  grandmother!"  said  Jean. 

"Good  morning,  my  son,"  answered  the  old 
woman;  "what  do  you  want?" 

"I  am  looking  for  the  dwelling-place  of  the 
winds." 

"Then,  my  son,  you  are  at  the  end  of  your 
journey,  for  this  is  the  dwelling-place  of  the 
winds,  and  I  am  their  mother.  What  do  you 
want  with  them?" 

"I  want  to  complain  of  the  damage  they  have 
caused  me." 

"What  damage  have  they  caused  you?  Tell 
me,  and  I  will  repay  you  if  it  is  possible." 

"Your  son  Hurricane  has  ruined  me";  and  he 
told  the  whole  affair  to  the  old  woman. 

She  said  to  him,  "Come  into  my  house,  my  son, 
and  when  my  son  the  Hurricane  returns  I  will 
make  him  repay  you." 

And  she  then  descended  the  hill  and  took  Jean 
to  her  house,  which  was  at  the  foot  of  it.  It  was 
a  hut  built  of  branches  and  clods  of  earth,  and 
the  wind  came  in  and  blew  through  and  through 
it.     She  gave  him  something  to  eat,  and  told  him 


THE  TAILOR  AND  THE  HURRICANE       77 

not  to  be  afraid  of  her  son,  when  he  returned, 
although  he  might  threaten  to  eat  him  up,  for  she 
would  know  very  well  how  to  manage  him. 

Soon  a  terrible  noise  was  heard;  the  trees 
cracked,  small  stones  flew  through  the  air,  and 
the  wolves  howled. 

"That  is  my  son  the  Hurricane,  coming,"  said 
the  old  woman. 

Jean  was  so  terribly  frightened  that  he  hid 
himself  under  the  table.  The  Hurricane  came 
in  muttering,  sniffing  the  air,  and  cried  out, — 

"I  smell  the  blood  of  a  Christian!  There  is  a 
Christian  here,  and  I  must  eat  him  up  !" 

"Do  not  think,  my  son,  that  I  am  going  to  let 
you  eat  up  this  pretty  little  Christian;  think 
rather  of  repaying  him  for  the  damage  you  have 
done  him,"  said  the  old  woman;  and,  taking  Jean 
by  the  hand,  she  made  him  come  out  from  under 
the  table. 

The  Hurricane,  as  soon  as  he  saw  him,  opened 
his  enormous  mouth,  and  sprang  at  him  to  swal- 
low him.  But  his  mother  said  to  him,  pointing 
with  her  finger  to  a  bag  which  was  hanging  from 
one  of  the  beams  of  the  hut, — 

"Do  you  want  to  be  put  in  prison?"  And  he 
became  calm  immediately.  Then  the  tailor 
grew  bold  and  said  to  him, — 

"Good  morning,  Mr.  Hurricane;  you  have 
ruined  me." 


78  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"How  is  that,  my  good  man?"  answered  the 
Hurricane  gently. 

"You  carried  away  all  my  flax  from  the 
meadow  where  my  wife  had  spread  it  to  dry." 

"That  is  not  true;  and  your  wife  is  a  liar  and 
a  good-for-nothing  creature.  But  as  you  are  an 
honest  man  and  a  good  workman,  and  because 
in  spite  of  all  the  trouble  you  take  you  will  al- 
ways be  poor  with  such  a  wife,  I  will  reward  you 
for  the  trouble  you  have  taken  in  coming  here, 
and  for  your  confidence  in  my  justice.  See  !  here 
is  a  mule,  and  when  you  are  in  want  of  silver  and 
gold  you  have  only  to  spread  a  white  napkin 
under  his  mouth  and  say  to  him,  'Mule,  do  your 
duty!'  and  he  will  furnish  you  with  gold  and 
silver  as  much  as  you  want.  But  take  care  not 
to  let  him  be  stolen  from  you,  or  you  will  find 
yourself  poor  as  before." 

Then  the  Hurricane  gave  him  a  mule  which 
was  in  a  corner  of  a  hut,  and  which  was  not  at 
all  different  from  an  ordinary  mule.  The  tailor 
thanked  the  Hurricane,  bade  farewell  to  him  and 
also  to  his  mother,  and  then  went  away,  taking 
with  him  the  precious  animal. 

When  he  had  gone  a  considerable  distance,  as 
he  was  crossing  a  large  field,  he  wished  to  assure 
himself  that  his  mule  really  possessed  the  virtue 
which  had  been  attributed  to  him.  He  spread 
his   handkerchief   under   his   mouth   and    said, 


THE  TAILOR  AND  THE  HURRICANE       79 

"Mule,  do  your  duty!"  And  immediately  pieces 
of  gold  and  silver  fell  in  his  handkerchief  until  it 
would  not  hold  any  more.  He  filled  his  pockets 
with  them,  then  he  started  again  on  his  way,  sing- 
ing, laughing,  dancing,  and  jumping  for  joy,  as 
if  he  were  foolish. 

Toward  sunset  he  stopped  to  pass  the  night  in 
an  inn  by  the  roadside.  As  he  left  his  mule  with 
the  stable-boy,  he  charged  him  to  take  special  care 
of  it  and  never  to  say  to  it,  "Do  your  duty." 
Poor  Jean,  as  we  have  seen,  was  none  of  the 
sharpest.  After  having  supped  comfortably, 
eaten  and  drunk  of  the  best  there  was  in  the  house, 
he  went  to  bed  and  slept  without  anxiety  till 
morning. 

The  stable-boy  was  astonished  at  Jean's  charg- 
ing him  not  to  say  to  the  mule,  "Do  your  duty"  ; 
no  traveler  had  ever  told  him  such  a  thing. 
"There  is  something  back  of  this,"  said  he  to 
himself. 

This  thought  kept  him  from  sleeping:  he  went 
to  tell  his  master  about  it.  When  all  the  house- 
hold was  asleep,  the  inn-keeper,  his  wife,  and  the 
stable-boy,  went  to  the  stable,  and  going  up  to 
the  mule  the  stable-boy  said, — 

"Mule,  do  your  duty!" 

And  pieces  of  gold  and  silver  fell  at  once,  mak- 
ing a  ringing  sound.  They  were  overcome  with 
astonishment.     After  they  had  all  three   filled 


8o  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

their  pockets,  they  put  another  mule  in  place  of 
the  tailor's  and  hid  his  in  a  room  well  fastened 
up,  far  from  the  stable. 

The  next  day,  Jean  breakfasted  well,  paid  his 
reckoning,  and  then  set  out  again  on  his  journey, 
taking  with  him  the  mule  which  the  stable-boy 
brought  him,  and  not  dreaming  of  the  trick  that 
had  been  played  on  him. 

As  he  had  his  pockets  filled  with  gold  and  sil- 
ver, he  had  no  need,  during  the  rest  of  his  jour- 
ney, to  say  to  his  mule,  "Do  your  duty." 

When  he  reached  his  home,  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren were  ready  to  die  of  hunger.  On  seeing 
him,  Jeanne  began  to  heap  abuses  upon  him: 
"So  here  you  are  at  last,  wicked,  heartless  man; 
you  run  off,  no  one  knows  where,  and  leave  your 
wife  and  children  at  home  to  die  of  hunger.'1 

And  she  shook  her  fist  at  him. 

"Hold  your  tongue!  wife,"  said  Jean,  quietly, 
and  with  the  air  of  a  man  sure  of  his  powers; 
"you  will  never  again  want  for  bread  or  any- 
thing else;  we  are  rich  now,  as  you  shall  see! 
Take  off  your  apron  and  spread  it  on  the  ground 
under  the  mule's  mouth." 

Jeanne  spread  her  apron  on  the  ground  and 
Jean  said, — 

"Mule,  do  your  duty!" 

But  to  his  astonishment  nothing  fell  in  the 
apron.  He  said,  a  second  time,  louder  than  be- 
fore, thinking  perhaps  he  had  not  heard, — 


THE  TAILOR  AND  THE  HURRICANE      81 

"Mule,  do  your  duty!" 

Still  nothing;  then  a  third  time  he  cried  still 
louder, — 

"Mule,  do  your  duty!" 

But  neither  gold  nor  silver  fell  on  the  apron. 
Jeanne,  now  persuaded  that  her  husband  was 
mocking  her,  seized  «a  stick  and  darted  at  him. 
Poor  Jean,  to  get  out  of  her  way,  ran  out,  and 
not  daring  to  go  into  his  house,  and  not  knowing 
just  where  his  mule  had  been  stolen,  he  deter- 
mined to  go  again  to  see  the  Hurricane. 

When  the  latter  saw  him  returning  all  cast 
down  he  said  to  him, — 

"I  know  why  you  have  come  back;  you  let 
them  steal  your  mule  from  you  at  the  first  inn 
where  you  lodged  on  your  way  home.  Here  is  a 
napkin,  and  when  you  spread  it  on  a  table  or  even 
on  the  ground,  saying  to  it,  'Napkin,  do  your 
duty!'  it  will  furnish  you  immediately  with  all 
you  want  to  eat  and  drink.  But  take  care  not 
to  let  this  be  stolen  also." 

"Do  not  be  anxious!  they  shall  steal  my  life 
first." 

Then  he  bade  farewell  to  the  Hurricane  and 
his  mother  and  set  out  on  his  journey.  He 
lodged,  the  first  night,  at  the  same  inn  as  before. 
There  was  a  wedding  feast  going  on  when  he 
arrived.  He  was  heartily  welcomed  and  asked 
to  sit  at  the  table  with  the  newly  married  pair, 


82  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

to  which  he  agreed  with  pleasure.  Finding  the 
repast  not  much  to  his  taste,  or  perhaps  being 
anxious  to  excite  the  astonishment  of  the  guests 
and  to  pass  for  a  great  scholar  or  a  magician,  he 
drew  his  napkin  from  his  pocket,  spread  it  on  the 
table,  and  profoundly  uttered  the  words,  "Nap- 
kin, do  your  duty!" 

Immediately  there  was  a  magnificent  repast, 
delicious  meats,  such  as  are  seen  only  on  the  ta- 
bles of  kings,  and  fine  wines  from  all  countries. 
Intoxicated,  as  much  by  the  praises  as  by  the 
wine,  Jean  let  them  steal  away  his  napkin  also, 
and  the  next  day  he  was  as  poor  and  destitute  as 
ever. 

This  time  he  dared  not  show  himself  before 
his  wife  in  such  a  condition,  and.  he  thought  that 
the  only  thing  he  could  do  was  to  go  again  to 
the  home  of  the  mother  of  the  winds.  So  he 
went  there  again,  but  this  time  very  much 
ashamed  and  cast  down. 

When  the  Hurricane  saw  him,  he  said  to  him, — 

"You  have  let  them  steal  away  your  napkin 
also,  unfortunate  man!" 

"Have  pity  on  me,  Mr.  Hurricane,"  said  the 
tailor,  humbly;  "my  wife  and  my  children  are 
dying  of  hunger  at  home,  and  I  cannot  go  back 
to  them  without  taking  them  something." 

"I  consent  to  come  to  your  assistance  one  last 
time,  for  you  are  not  a  wicked  man";  and  hand- 


THE  TAILOR  AND  THE  HURRICANE       83 

ing  him  a  stick — "Here  is  a  stick,  and  when 
whoever  has  it  in  his  hand  says,  'Stick,  do  your 
duty  !'  he  will  immediately  begin  to  beat  his  mas- 
ter's enemies,  and  nothing  can  stop  it  until  he 
cries,  'Enough!'  With  this  stick,  you  can  re- 
cover your  mule  and  your  napkin." 

Jean  thanked  him  and  departed.  He  lodged 
at  the  same  imi  as  before.  They  welcomed  him 
in  the  heartiest  manner,  in  the  hope  of  stealing 
some  other  talisman  from  him.  He  invited  the 
inn-keeper  and  his  wife  and  also  the  stable-boy 
to  supper  with  him.  When  the  repast  was 
nearly  over,  he  said  to  his  stick,  which  he  had  held 
constantly  in  his  hand,  not  being  willing  to  be 
separated  from  it,— 

"Stick,  do  your  duty!" 

And  immediately  the  stick  was  in  motion  and 
beat  the  inn-keeper  and  his  wife  and  the  stable- 
boy  with  all  its  might.  All  their  efforts  to  stop 
it  were  useless,  and  in  vain  they  tried  to  hide 
themselves  under  the  table  and  other  things;  the 
stick  reached  them  everywhere,  and  Jean  laughed 
and  made  a  joke  of  it.  "Pity!  Mercy!"  they 
cried  to  him,  and  he  said  to  them, — 

"That  will  teach  you  to  steal  mules  and  nap- 
kins!" 

"Pity!  We  will  give  them  all  back  to  you! 
You  will  kill  us!" 

"Enough!"  cried  Jean,  at  the  end  of  half  an 


84  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

hour  of  this  exercise  ;  and  the  stick  stopped  strik- 
ing, and  Jean  returned  to  his  home  with  his  mule, 
napkin,  and  stick.  If  he  has  been  wise  enough 
to  keep  them,  he  has  nothing  to  complain  of. 
For  my  part  I  have  heard  nothing  of  him  since 
that  time. 

Told  by  Barbe  Tassel,  of  Plouaret  (Côtes-du-Nord). 

F.  M.  Luzel. 


THE  BAKER'S  THREE  DAUGHTERS 

OR, 

THE  DANCING   WATER,   THE   SINGING   APPLE,    AND 

THE  BIRD  OF  TRUTH 

THERE  was  once  an  old  baker  who  was 
a  widower  with  three  daughters.  One 
evening  after  supper  they  sat  before  the 
fire  talking  about  their  loves.  "Whom  do  you 
love,  oldest  sister?"  asked  the  youngest. 

"The  king's  gardener,"  she  replied. 

"And  you?"  she  asked  of  the  second  sister. 

"The  king's  waiting-man." 

"Very  well;  as  for  me,  I  love  the  king's  son." 

"The  king's  son!  you  are  joking!"  cried  the 
other  two. 

"Certainly  not,  and  I  tell  you,  moreover,  that 
we  shall  have  three  children,  the  king's  son  and 
I,  two  boys,  each  with  a  gold  star  on  his  fore- 
head, and  a  daughter  with  a  silver  star." 

The  father,  who  had  gone  to  bed,  and  who 
overheard  the  conversation  of  his  daughters,  said 
to  them  then, — 

"What  sort  of  talk  is  this?  You  must  be 
crazy!  go  to  bed  at  once." 

So  the  three  girls  went  to  bed. 
85 


86  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

The  king's  son  was  taking  a  walk  that  even- 
ing through  the  village,  accompanied  by  his  wait- 
ing-man and  his  gardener.  A  shower  came  up, 
and  they  went  under  the  baker's  shed  for  shelter 
and  overheard  the  conversation  of  the  three  girls. 
The  prince  took  down  the  name  of  the  baker, 
which  was  on  his  sign,  and  the  next  morning  he 
sent  to  ask  the  oldest  daughter  to  come  to  the 
palace  to  speak  to  him. 

"Do  you  remember,"  said  he  to  her,  "what  you 
said  yesterday  evening,  beside  your  fire,  in  your 
father's  house?"  The  young  girl  was  very  much 
surprised  and  frightened.  "Do  not  be  afraid,  my 
girl,"  said  he,  "speak  boldly,  for  I  have  heard 
all;  do  you  remember  what  you  said?" 

"Yes,"  she  replied. 

"And  you  would  be  willing  to  marry  my  gar- 
dener?" 

"Yes,  certainly." 

"Very  well;  go  home  and  tell  your  second  sis- 
ter to  come  and  talk  with  me." 

When  the  latter  came  to  the  palace,  the  prince 
asked  of  her,  as  he  had  done  of  her  elder  sister, — 

"Do  you  remember  what  you  said  yesterday 
evening,  beside  your  fire  in  your  father's  house?" 

"Yes,  sire,  certainly,"  she  replied. 

"And  you  would  be  willing  to  take  my  wait- 
ing-man for  your  husband?" 

"Yes,  certainly." 


THE  BAKER'S  DAUGHTERS  87 

"Very  well;  go  home  and  tell  your  youngest 
sister  to  come  also  and  talk  with  me." 

The  latter  came  also  in  her  turn,  and  the  prince 
asked  of  her,  as  of  the  other  two,  "Do  you  re- 
member what  you  said  yesterday  evening,  by  the 
fireside,  in  your  father's  house?" 

"I  remember,  sire,"  she  replied. 

"And  you  would  be  willing  to  marry  me?" 

"Yes,  with  all  my  heart." 

"And  you  would  have  three  children,  as  you 
said,  two  boys,  each  with  a  gold  star  on  his  fore- 
head, and  a  daughter  with  a  silver  star?" 

"Yes,  as  truly  as  I  have  said  it,  sire." 

"Very  well;  then  you  shall  be  my  wife.  Now 
go  home  and  tell  your  father  to  come  and  talk 
with  me." 

The  young  girl  went  home,  very  happy,  and 
told  her  father  to  go  to  the  palace  and  talk  with 
the  king's  son. 

"Why?"  asked  the  old  man;  "I  told  you  so; 
your  foolish  talk  has  come  to  the  prince's  ears, 
and  now  he  has  doubtless  sent  for  me  to  punish 
me." 

"No,  no,  my  father;  go  and  fear  nothing," 
said  his  daughter. 

The  old  baker  went  to  the  palace,  sad  and  sigh- 
ing, as  if  he  were  going  to  his  death.  But  when 
he  heard  the  son  of  the  king  ask  his  three  daugh- 
ters in  marriage,  one  for  his  gardener,  one  for  his 


88  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

waiting-man,  and  the  third  for  himself,  he  was 
as  joyful  and  happy  as  before  he  had  been  anx- 
ious and  afraid. 

The  three  weddings  were  celebrated  at  once, 
and  for  a  whole  month  there  were  feasts  every 
day,  dances,  and  all  sorts  of  amusements. 

The  gardener  and  the  waiting-man  went  to 
live  in  the  city  with  their  wives,  and  the  young 
prince  remained  with  his,  in  his  father's  palace. 
The  other  two  were  jealous  of  the  youngest  sis- 
ter because  she  was  a  princess,  and  they  tried 
every  day  to  find  some  means  to  destroy  her.  At 
last  they  consulted  an  old  fairy.  She  told  them 
that  when  the  princess'  baby  was  born  they  must 
bribe  the  old  nurse  to  put  a  little  dog  in  the 
cradle  instead  of  the  baby  and  send  the  baby  out 
on  the  river.  Then  they  recommended  a  nurse 
to  their  sister,  who,  they  said,  was  the  best  in  the 
kingdom.  The  princess  asked  to  see  her  and 
welcomed  her  kindly.  The  baby  that  was  born 
was  a  magnificent  child,  with  a  gold  star  in  the 
middle  of  his  forehead.  The  nurse  gave  the 
poor  little  creature  to  a  man  who  was  waiting 
at  the  door,  to  take  it  and  leave  it  on  the  shore 
of  the  Seine,  which  they  tell  me  flows  by  Paris. 
Then  she  put  in  his  place  in  the  cradle,  a  little 
dog  that  she  had  brought  with  her.  When  the 
prince  asked  to  see  his  child  they  showed  him 
the  little  dog. 


THE  BAKER'S  DAUGHTERS  89 

"Ah!  ah!  what  is  this  that  you  are  showing 
me?"  he  cried. 

"Alas!  my  prince,"  replied  the  perfidious 
nurse,  "God  does  all  as  it  pleases  Him!" 

"Ah!  misery  for  me!  But  it  is  useless  to  com- 
plain, since  it  is  the  will  of  God.  Take  care 
always  of  this  poor  creature." 

The  husband  of  the  baker's  oldest  daughter, 
the  king's  gardener,  had  a  beautiful  garden  on 
the  shore  of  the  river,  and  as  he  was  walking  in 
it  one  day,  he  saw  a  basket  which  was  floating 
on  the  water.  He  jumped  into  his  boat,  caught 
the  basket,  and  was  very  much  astonished  to  find 
in  it  a  beautiful  child  with  a  gold  star  in  the 
middle  of  his  forehead.  "God  be  praised,"  said 
he,  "who  sends  me  such  a  lovely  child,  for  I  have 
none  of  my  own."  And  he  carried  it  to  his  wife, 
who  received  it  with  great  joy,  and  took  as  much 
pleasure  in  caring  for  it  as  if  it  had  been  her  own 
child. 

A  year  after,  a  second  son  was  born  to  the 
princess,  having  also  a  gold  star  in  his  forehead 
like  the  first.  The  perfidious  nurse  substituted  a 
little  dog  for  him  also,  and  the  poor  baby  was 
put  out  on  the  water  in  a  basket  as  his  brother 
had  been. 

The  king  (the  prince  had  become  king,  his 
father  having  died)  asked  to  see  the  new-born 
son. 


go  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Alas!  another  dog!"  cried  he,  as  soon  as  he 
saw  it,  and  he  turned  away  his  head  and  wept. 
"But  since  it  is  the  will  of  God,"  he  added,  "what 
God  does  is  well  done." 

The  gardener,  who  was  fishing  with  hook  and 
line  in  his  garden,  saw  a  basket  floating  down  the 
river.  He  caught  it  and  hastened  to  carry  to 
his  wife  the  beautiful  child  he  found  in  it.  The 
latter  received  it  joyfully,  saying, — 

"How  delightful!  Now  we  each  have  one,  my 
husband  and  I!" 

They  chose  a  godfather  and  godmother,  and 
the  child  was  baptized. 

A  third  child  was  born  to  the  princess,  and  this 
time  it  was  a  little  girl,  with  a  silver  star  in  the 
middle  of  her  forehead.  The  perfidious  nurse 
put  a  little  dog  in  her  place,  too,  and  the  poor 
thing  was  exposed  as  her  brothers  had  been. 
This  time  the  king  began  to  swear  and  storm 
like  one  beside  himself,  when  they  showed  him 
another  little  dog. 

"They  will  call  me,"  said  he,  "the  father  of 
dogs  !  and  not  without  reason.  But  all  this  does 
not  come  from  God  ;  there  is  some  mystery  at  the 
bottom  of  it."  And  he  had  the  queen  shut  up  in 
a  tower,  with  only  bread  and  water  for  food,  and 
a  little  book  to  read. 

The  gardener  found  another  child  floating  on 
the  water,  and  picked  it  up  and  carried  it  home, 
as  he  had  done  the  others. 


THE  BAKER'S  DAUGHTERS  91. 

"Enough  children  like  that,"  said  his  wife, 
seeing  him  come  in  with  the  basket.  "How  is  it 
that  you  find  so  many  children?" 

"Very  well,  wife,  do  not  worry;  be  quiet.  I 
will  carry  the  child  back  where  I  found  it  on 
the  water;  but  it  is  a  great  pity;  such  a  pretty 
little  girl!" 

"It  is  a  girl,  do  you  say?  Show  her  to  me. 
Oh!  the  pretty  little  angel,  with  a  silver  star  in 
the  middle  of  her  forehead.  We  will  keep  her, 
husband  ;  we  have  sufficient  means,  and  since  God 
has  given  us  no  children  of  our  own,  we  will  take 
these  instead." 

Meanwhile  the  poor  queen  was  in  her  tower, 
weeping  and  moaning  night  and  day,  and  no  one 
came  to  see  her.  Her  two  sisters  were  happy 
with  their  husbands. 

By  and  by  the  gardener  and  his  wife  died. 
The  king  had  their  three  children  brought  to  his 
palace,  and  as  they  were  handsome  children,  and 
well  brought  up,  they  pleased  him  very  much. 
Every  Sunday  they  were  seen  in  his  pew  at 
church, — at  high  mass, — having  each  a  bandage 
round  his  forehead  to  hide  his  star.  Every  one 
was  astonished  to  see  these  bandages,  and  asked, 
"What  does  it  mean?" 

One  day,  when  the  king  was  out  hunting,  an 
old  woman  came  to  the  kitchen  of  the  palace,  and 
said,  "Ugh!  Ugh!  Ugh!  how  cold  I  am!"  And 
she  trembled  and  her  teeth  chattered. 


92  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Come  near  the  fire,  grandmother,"  said  the 
young  girl  with  the  silver  star,  who  happened  to 
be  there. 

"Blessings  on  you,  my  child.  Ah  !  how  beauti- 
ful you  are  !  Ah  !  if  you  had  the  dancing  water, 
the  singing  apple,  and  the  bird  of  truth,  you 
would  not  have  your  equal  on  the  earth!" 

"Yes,  grandmother;  but  how  can  I  get  these 
marvelous  things?" 

"You  have  two  brothers  here  who  can  get  them 
for  you." 

Then  she  went  away  without  saying  anything 
more. 

From  that  moment  the  young  girl  could  think 
of  nothing  but  the  words  of  the  old  woman; 
she  dreamed  only  of  the  dancing  water,  the  sing- 
ing apple,  and  the  bird  of  truth,  and  she  was 
very  sad. 

"Why  are  you  so  sad?"  asked  her  brothers. 

"There  is  nothing  the  matter,"  she  replied. 

"Yes,  there  is  something  the  matter,  and  you 
must  tell  us  what  it  is." 

"An  old  woman  came  to  warm  herself  in  the 
kitchen,  and  she  said  to  me,  'My  child,  if  you 
had  the  dancing  water,  the  singing  apple,  and  the 
bird  of  truth,  you  would  not  have  your  equal  on 
the  earth!'  And  since  then  I  am  always  dream- 
ing of  the  dancing  water,  the  singing  apple,  and 
the  bird  of  truth.  But  how  can  I  ever  procure 
such  marvelous  things?" 


THE  BAKER'S  DAUGHTERS  93 

"My  little  sister,  I  will  find  them  for  you  if 
they  are  anywhere  on  this  earth,"  said  the  elder 
brother. 

"How  can  you  do  it,  my  poor  brother?" 

"Leave  it  to  me,  and  do  not  be  worried.  See! 
here  is  a  dagger,  which  I  give  you  ;  draw  it  from 
the  scabbard  several  times  a  day  for  a  whole  year 
and  a  day;  as  long  as  you  can  draw  it  out,  no 
harm  will  have  happened  to  me;  but  when  you 
cannot  pull  it  out,  alas!  I  shall  be  dead!" 

Then  he  bade  farewell  to  his  sister  and  brother, 
and  departed. 

His  sister  often  drew  the  dagger-blade  from 
the  scabbard,  and  it  came  out  easily.  But  alas! 
one  day  she  could  not  draw  it  out,  although  she 
tried  her  best.     Then  she  began  to  cry. 

"What  is  the  matter,  my  dear  little  sister?" 
said  her  younger  brother. 

"Alas!  poor  brother,  our  older  brother  is  dead!" 
And  they  both  began  to  cry. 

"I  must  go  and  look  for  him." 

"Oh,  no  !  do  not  go,  my  brother  ;  stay  here  with 
me." 

"Xo,  I  must  go,  and  I  never  will  stop  walk- 
ing till  I  have  found  my  brother.  Here  !  I  give 
you  this  necklace;  slip  the  beads  around  con- 
stantly ;  when  you  come  to  one  that  will  not  move, 
then  I  also  shall  be  dead."  Then  he  said  good-by 
to  his  sister  and  went  away. 


94  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

She,  left  all  alone,  was  very  sad  and  full  of 
care.  She  constantly  slipped  the  beads  on  her 
necklace  around  and  she  saw  with  pleasure  that 
they  moved  easily.  But  alas!  one  day  there  was 
one  that  would  not  move. 

"My  God!"  she  cried,  "my  second  brother  is 
dead,  also!  What  shall  I  do  now?  I  must  go 
and  seek  for  them,  and  I  will  never  stop  travel- 
ing until  I  have  found  them,  dead  or  alive." 

She  bought  a  horse,  dressed  herself  as  a  cava- 
lier, and  set  out,  without  saying  anything  to  any 
one.  She  continued  to  go  on  and  on  till  she 
reached  a  great  plain. 

There  she  saw  in  an  old  hollow  tree  a  little  old 
man  with  a  long  white  beard. 

"Good  morning,  daughter  of  the  king  of 
France!"  said  the  little  old  man  with  the  white 
beard. 

"Good  morning,  grandfather;  but  you  surely 
take  me  for  some  one  else,  for  I  am  not  the 
daughter  of  the  king  of  France." 

"No,  no,  I  am  not  mistaken,  for  I  know  you 
well." 

"But,  grandfather,  is  not  that  long  beard  very 
much  in  your  way?" 

"It  is,  indeed,  my  child;  I  have  worn  it  for 
five  hundred  years,  and  it  has  been  very  much  in 
my  way,  I  assure  you." 

"If  you  wish  it,  I  will  cut  it  off." 


THE  BAKER'S  DAUGHTERS  95 

"Oh,  yes,  do!" 

She  took  her  scissors  out  of  her  pocket  and  cut 
off  the  old  man's  beard. 

"My  blessing  on  you,  daughter  of  the  king  of 
France,"  said  he,  "for  you  have  delivered  me! 
A  great  many  people  have  passed  by  here,  during 
these  five  hundred  years,  and  no  one  has  had  pity 
on  me  but  you,  and  you  shall  never  have  reason  to 
regret  it.  I  know  where  you  are  going  ;  you  are 
going  to  look  for  your  two  brothers.  Listen  to 
me  well,  and  do  exactly  what  I  tell  you.  Sixty 
miles  from  here  you  will  find  an  inn  by  the  road- 
side. Alight  there,  eat,  drink,  and  then  leave 
your  horse  there  and  say  you  will  pay  when  you 
return.  Soon  after  you  leave  this  house,  you 
will  come  to  a  high  mountain.  You  will  have 
much  difficulty  in  climbing  this  mountain,  and  it 
will  even  be  necessary  sometimes  to  get  down  on 
your  hands  and  feet.  A  tremendous  wind  will 
soon  rise;  hail,  snow,  ice,  and  a  bitter  cold  will 
assail  you  ;  but  take  care  and  do  not  lose  courage, 
and  continue  to  climb  up  as  before.  On  each 
side  of  the  way  you  will  see  a  great  number  of 
stone  pillars.  These  are  so  many  persons,  who, 
like  you,  have  attempted  to  climb  this  mountain, 
but  have  lost  courage,  and  have  been  changed 
into  pillars  of  stone.  When  you  reach  the  top, 
you  will  see  a  plain  with  a  turf  dotted  with 
flowers,  as  if  in  the  month  of  May.     Then  you 


96  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

will  see  a  golden  seat  under  an  apple-tree.  Sit 
down  on  this  seat  and  pretend  to  be  asleep,  and 
you  will  see  a  blackbird  hop  down  the  apple-tree 
from  branch  to  branch,  and  go  into  a  cage  which 
is  under  the  tree.  Then  shut  the  cage  quickly, 
for  it  is  the  Bird  of  Truth.  Then  cut  a  branch 
of  the  apple-tree  with  an  apple  on  it;  that  will 
be  the  Singing  Apple.  And  finally,  draw  a 
phial  full  of  water  from  the  fountain  under  the 
tree,  for  that  is  the  fountain  of  the  Dancing 
Water.  Then  you  can  come  away.  As  you  de- 
scend the  mountain,  drop  a  drop  of  water  from 
your  phial  on  each  pillar  of  stone,  and  out  of 
each  pillar  will  rise  a  knight.  Your  two  brothers 
will  rise  also,  like  the  others." 

The  young  girl  thanked  the  little  old  man  and 
continued  her  journey.  She  did  just  exactly 
what  she  had  been  told.  She  ate  and  drank  at 
the  inn,  left  her  horse  there,  and  began  to  climb 
the  mountain.  But  the  cold  became  so  intense 
that  her  limbs  were  almost  frozen,  and  she  came 
near  stopping  and  being  changed  to  stone  like 
the  others.  However,  at  last  she  reached  the  top 
of  the  mountain.  There  the  sky  was  clear,  and 
the  air  mild,  as  in  the  middle  of  summer.  She 
seated  herself  on  the  golden  seat,  under  the  apple- 
tree,  and  pretended  to  be  asleep.  The  blackbird 
hopped  down  the  tree,  from  branch  to  branch, 
and  went  into  the  cage.     Then  she  got  up  at  once 


THE  BAKERS  DAUGHTERS  97 

and  shut  the  cage  ;  and  the  blackbird,  seeing  him- 
self caught,  said, — 

"You  have  caught  me,  daughter  of  the  king  of 
France!  Many  others,  before  you,  have  tried 
to  catch  me,  but  none  have  succeeded.  But  you 
have  been  guided  by  some  one." 

Then  she  cut  a  branch  of  the  apple-tree  with 
an  apple  on  it,  filled  her  phial  with  water  from 
the  fountain,  and  departed.  As  she  went  down 
the  mountain,  she  dropped  a  drop  of  water  on 
each  pillar  of  stone,  and  out  of  them  came 
princes,  dukes,  barons,  and  knights;  her  two 
brothers  arose  also,  the  last  two;  but  they  did 
not  recognize  their  sister  ;  and  all  crowded  around 
her,  some  saying,  "Give  me  the  Dancing  Water, 
young  knight"  ;  and  others,— "Give  me  the  Sing- 
ing Apple";  and  others, — "Give  me  the  Bird  of 
Truth." 

But  she  went  quickly  away,  taking  with  her  the 
water,  the  apple,  and  the  bird.  As  she  passed 
the  inn  where  she  had  left  her  horse,  she  paid  her 
reckoning,  then  turned  quickly  homeward  and 
arrived  there  a  long  time  before  her  brothers. 
When  the  latter  arrived,  they  embraced  their 
sister. 

"Ah!  my  poor  brothers,"  said  she  to  them, 
"how  anxious  I  have  been  about  you.  How  long 
your  journey  has  been!  But  God  be  praised, 
since  I  have  you  back  again!" 


98  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Alas!  yes,  my  poor  sister,  we  were  gone  a  long 
time,  and  we  have  done  no  good  by  it;  it  is  only 
by  chance  that  we  returned  at  all." 

"Why,  have  you  not  brought  me  the  Dancing 
Water,  the  Singing  Apple,  and  the  Bird  of 
Truth?" 

"Alas!  no,  poor  sister;  a  young  knight  whom 
we  did  not  know  took  them  away.  Ah!  what  a 
handsome  knight  !  We  wish  you  could  have  seen 
him." 

The  old  king,  who  had  no  children  (as  he 
thought)  loved  his  sister-in-law's  children,  and 
was  glad  to  see  them  back  again.  He  ordered  a 
great  feast,  to  which  he  invited  many  people, 
princes,  dukes,  marquises,  barons,  and  generals. 
When  the  supper  was  nearly  over  the  young  girl 
placed  on  the  table  the  Dancing  Water,  the  Sing- 
ing Apple,  and  the  Bird  of  Truth,  and  told  each 
of  them  to  do  his  duty.  And  immediately  the 
water  began  to  dance,  the  apple  to  sing,  and  the 
bird  to  fly  over  the  table.  And  all  the  people,  in 
ecstacy,  mouths  and  eyes  open,  looked  and  lis- 
tened at  these  wonders.  They  had  never  seen 
nor  heard  anything  like  it. 

"Whose  are  these  wonderful  things?"  asked 
the  king,  when  he  could  speak. 

"Mine,  sire,"  said  the  young  girl. 

"And  what  are  they?" 

"The  Dancing  Water,  the  Singing  Apple,  and 
the  Bird  of  Truth." 


THE  BAKER'S  DAUGHTERS  99 

"And  from  whom  did  you  get  them?" 

"I  went,  myself,  to  seek  for  them." 

Then  the  two  brothers  knew  that  it  was  their 
sister  who  had  delivered  them.  As  for  the  king, 
he  was  almost  beside  himself  with  joy  and  ad- 
miration. 

"My  crown  and  my  kingdom,"  he  said,  "for 
your  wonderful  things;  and  you — you  shall  be 
queen." 

"Wait  a  moment,  sire,  till  you  have  heard  my 
bird  speak;  the  Bird  of  Truth,  for  he  has  im- 
portant matters  to  reveal  to  you.  Now,  my  little 
bird,  tell  the  truth." 

"I  will  indeed,"  said  the  bird,  "but  let  no  one 
go  out  of  the  room." 

So  they  shut  the  doors.  The  wicked  old  nurse, 
and  one  of  the  king's  sisters-in-law  were  there, 
and  they  were  not  at  all  comfortable  when  they 
heard  these  words. 

"Come,  my  bird,  tell  the  truth  now."  And 
this  is  what  the  bird  said, — 

"It  is  twenty  years  now,  sire,  since  your  wife 
was  shut  up  in  the  tower,  abandoned  by  every 
one,  and  you  have  long  believed  her  to  be  dead. 
But  she  is  not  dead;  no  harm  has  happened  to 
her,  for  she  was  unjustly  accused  and  cast  into  a 
dreary  prison." 

Just  here  the  nurse  and  the  king's  sisters-in- 
law  said  they  felt  sick  and  wanted  to  go  out. 


loo  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"No  one  shall  go  out  yet,"  said  the  king;  "go 
on  telling  the  truth,  little  bird." 

"You  have  had  two  sons  and  a  daughter,  sire," 
continued  the  bird,  "all  three  children  of  your 
wife,  and  here  they  are!  Take  off  their  band- 
ages, and  you  will  see  that  each  has  a  star  in  his 
forehead." 

The  bandages  were  taken  off,  and  they  saw 
that  each  of  the  two  young  men  had  a  gold  star 
on  his  forehead  and  the  young  girl  had  a  silver 
star. 

"The  authors  of  all  this  wickedness,"  con- 
tinued the  bird,  "are  your  two  sisters-in-law  and 
the  nurse,  that  sorceress  of  the  devil.  They  made 
you  believe  that  your  wife  gave  birth  to  dogs, 
and  your  poor  children  were  sent,  as  soon  as  they 
were  born,  to  float  on  the  waters  of  the  Seine. 
When  the  nurse  learned  that  the  children  had 
been  saved,  and  were  being  brought  up  in  your 
palace,  she  sought  for  other  means  of  destroying 
them.  She  went  into  the  palace,  one  day,  dis- 
guised as  a  beggar,  ready  to  die  of  cold  and 
hunger,  and  inspired  the  princess  with  a  desire 
to  possess  the  Dancing  Water,  the  Singing  Ap- 
ple, and  the  Bird  of  Truth.  Her  two  brothers 
went,  one  after  the  other,  to  seek  them  for  her, 
and  the  sorceress  knew  very  well  that  they  would 
never  return.  And  they  never  would  have  re- 
turned, alas!  if  their  sister  had  not  succeeded, 


THE  BAKER'S  DAUGHTERS        101 

after  much  trouble,  in  delivering  them,  and  bring- 
ing away  the  Dancing  Water,  the  Singing  Apple, 
and  the  Bird  of  Truth." 

The  king  fainted  on  hearing  all  this.  When 
he  came  to  himself,  he  went  himself  to  seek  his 
queen  in  the  tower,  and  returned  to  the  festive 
hall,  leading  her  by  the  hand.  She  had  not 
changed  at  all;  she  was  beautiful  and  gracious 
as  ever.  She  ate  and  drank  a  little,  then  died 
suddenly  in  her  chair.  The  king,  wild  with  grief 
and  anger,  ordered  that  a  furnace  should  be 
heated  immediately  and  his  sisters-in-law  and  the 
old  nurse  thrown  into  it.     It  was  done. 

I  do  not  know  anything  more  of  the  princess 
and  her  two  brothers.  I  think  they  were  all  hap- 
pily married.  And  as  for  the  bird,  it  is  not  told 
whether  he  continued  always  to  tell  the  truth, 
but  I  presume  that  he  did,  as  he  was  not  a  man. 

Told  by  Barbe  Tassel,  written  down  and  translated  into 
French  by  F.  M.  Luzel.     Plouaret,  December,  1858. 


YOU  MUST  NOT  WORK  ON  SUNDAY 

A  STORY  OF  THE  DISTRICT  OF  AMIENS 


r~\  [^  HERE  was  once  upon  a  time  a  woodcut- 
ter and  his  wife  who  had  an  invalid 
daughter  ;  they  had  made  all  the  pilgrim- 
ages in  the  neighborhood  in  vain,  and  had  be- 
come entirely  discouraged.  But  it  happened  one 
evening  that  Mathias  (that  was  the  woodcutter's 
name),  being  belated  in  the  forest,  came  upon  a 
noisy  company  of  dwarfs,  who  insisted  upon  his 
dancing  with  them.     The  dwarfs  were  singing, — 

"The  day  is  for  working, 
The  day  is  for  working;" 

and  they  did  not  know  how  to  sing  anything 
else.  Mathias  said  to  them, — "Your  song  has 
but  little  variety;  it  would  be  well  to  add  some- 
thing to  it."  "Add!  add!"  cried  the  dwarfs. 
And  when  they  began  to  sing  again, — 

"The  day  is  for  working," 

the  woodcutter  added, — 

"And  the  night  is  for  resting." 
102 


YOU  MUST  NOT  WORK  ON  SUNDAY     103 

Then  there  was  a  great  commotion  ;  a  little  old 
man,  mounted  on  a  colt,  appeared  in  the  midst  of 
the  assembly;  when  silence  was  re-established  he 
addressed  these  words  to  the  woodcutter, — 

"You  shall  be  rewarded  for  having  added  some- 
thing to  our  song;  Ï  will  give  you  the  choice  be- 
tween riches  for  yourself,  and  beauty,  with 
health,  for  your  daughter." 

Mathias  did  not  hesitate;  he  preferred  the  hap- 
piness of  his  child  to  riches;  and  when  he  re- 
turned to  his  house,  he  found  that  she  was  in  good 
health  and  had  become  marvelously  beautiful. 
This  adventure  caused  much  stir  in  the  country, 
and  the  baker's  wife,  who  had  also  an  invalid 
daughter,  after  having  heard  from  the  woodcut- 
ter, in  detail,  all  that  had  happened  to  him,  re- 
solved to  go  and  find  the  dwarfs  in  the  forest. 
The  latter  seized  her  quickly  by  the  petticoats 
and  dragged  her  round  and  round  in  their  cir- 
cle. After  awhile,  the  dwarfs,  seeing  her  out  of 
breath,  gave  her  a  moment  to  recover. 

"It  is  my  opinion,  my  joyous  companions," 
said  she  to  them,  "that  your  song  is  too  short." 

"Cheerly,  woman,  cheerly!  Round  we  go!" 
shouted  the  dwarfs  as  they  again  began  their 
dance,  singing, — 

"The  day  is  for  working, 
And  the  night  is  for  resting." 


104  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

The  baker's  wife  added, — 

"All  the  whole  year  long." 

She  was  going  to  go  on,  but  moved  her  lips  in 
vain  ;  she  could  not  speak  another  word.  At  this 
moment,  the  ground  opened,  and  out  of  the  open- 
ing came  a  young  girl  mounted  on  a  goat. 

"Choose,"  said  she,  "between  riches  for  your- 
self, and  beauty,  with  health,  for  your  daughter." 

The  baker's  wife  was  very  avaricious  ;  she  chose 
riches,  and  when  she  returned  to  her  house  she 
found  her  daughter  dying.  She  became  envious 
of  the  happiness  of  the  woodcutter,  and  as  he 
owed  her  some  money,  she  threatened  to  sell  his 
hut  and  all  that  he  possessed. 

In  order  to  pay  their  debts,  the  woodcutter,  his 
wife,  and  daughter,  went  to  work  earnestly  to- 
gether in  the  forest.  While  Mathias  cut  the 
wood,  his  wife  and  daughter  made  fagots  of  the 
twigs. 

One  Sunday  our  woodcutter  left  his  wife  and 
daughter  at  home  and  went  to  work  in  the 
wood  ;  but  he  was  so  overcome  by  fatigue  that  he 
fell  asleep;  when  he  awoke  he  found  himself 
surrounded  by  the  company  of  dwarfs  who  were 
singing  — 

"The  day  is  for  working, 
And  the  night  is  for  resting. 
AU  the  whole  year  long." 


EACH    DWARF  THEN    CAME  AND    PLACED    A    LARGE  SACK   AT  MATHIAS'   FEET. 


YOU  MUST  NOT  WORK  ON  SUNDAY     105 

Mathias,  who  had  been  forced  against  his  will 
to  join  in  the  dance,  cried  out  for  spite, — 

"Save  Sunday  alone, 
Which  God  kept  for  his  own." 

At  this  moment  the  forest  became  illuminated  ; 
the  little  old  man  on  the  colt  appeared,  followed 
by  an  immense  crowd  of  dwarfs,  and  said  to  the 
woodcutter,  "By  finishing  our  couplet  you  have 
broken  the  charm  which  forced  us  to  impose  such 
hard  tests  on  mankind;  for  your  reward  we  give 
you  all  our  riches."  Each  dwarf  then  came  and 
placed  a  large  sack  at  Mathias'  feet.  He  gath- 
ered up  as  many  of  them  as  he  could  and  returned 
triumphantly  to  his  house.  But  when  he  opened 
them  he  saw  that  they  contained  only  dry  leaves  ! 

"The  dwarfs  have  mocked  thee,"  said  his  wife; 
"I  shall  sprinkle  the  sacks  with  holy  water,  for 
one  must  purify  what  comes  from  the  evil  one." 

No  sooner  said  than  done  ;  but  what  was  her  as- 
tonishment to  see  the  dry  leaves  change  into 
bright  gold  crowns  ! 

The  baker's  wife  was  paid  immediately;  she 
died  of  vexation  a  few  days  after  ;  the  woodcutter 
and  his  wife  lived  ever  after  rich  and  happy. 

Told  in  the  Picard  dialect  by  Fernand  Delaunoy,  aged 
51  years,  at  Warloy-Baillon  (Somme). 

Henri  Carnoy. 


DESTINY 

THERE  was  once  a  rich  woman  whose 
son  was  born  when  the  moon  was  hung 
(suspended  from  a  cloud  by  one  horn). 
As  the  child  grew,  the  mother,  who  knew  he 
would  be  hung  as  soon  as  he  was  eighteen  years 
old,  became  sadder  day  by  day,  and  could  not 
look  at  him  without  sighing  and  shedding  tears. 
Seeing  this,  he  wished  to  know  the  cause,  and  one 
day  he  asked  her, — 

"Why  do  you  weep  so  much,  mother?" 

"Never  mind,  my  child;  do  not  trouble  your- 
self about  it." 

But  he  insisted  so  much,  that  at  last  his  mother 
said  to  him, — 

"Alas!  my  poor  child,  you  were  born  under  a 
very  unfortunate  star.  A  monk  told  me,  the  mo- 
ment you  came  into  the  world,  that  you  would  be 
hung  at  the  age  of  eighteen  because  the  moon  was 
hung  at  the  same  moment." 

"Pshaw!  mother,"  replied  the  child;  "do  not 

believe  that;  and,"  he  added,  "I  will  leave  the 

country;  I  will  go  far  away,  and  if  it  is  the  will 

of  God  that  what  the  monk  told  you  should  hap- 

106 


DESTINY  107 

pen  to  me,  at  least  you  will  not  have  to  blush  for 
me." 

So  he  left  his  country  and  went  far,  far  away. 
He  came  to  a  beautiful  castle  and  asked  if  they 
needed  a  servant  there.  He  was  taken  as  assist- 
ant gardener.  Day  and  night  he  prayed  to  God 
to  avert  his  evil  fate.  As  he  was  a  handsome 
young  fellow,  the  young  lady  of  the  castle,  who 
saw  him  as  she  was  walking  in  the  garden,  fell  in 
love  with  him.  She  passed  most  of  her  time  in 
the  garden,  watching  him  work  and  talking  with 
him.  At  last  she  made  known  her  feelings  to 
him. 

"I  do  not  deserve  such  honor,  my  lady,"  said 
the  young  man;  "and  moreover,  for  another  rea- 
son this  cannot  be.  If  you  knew  how  sad  my 
destiny  is!" 

Then  he  told  the  young  lady  the  monk's  pre- 
diction. But  she  only  laughed  at  it.  Her  love 
increased  every  day.  She  decided  at  last  to  tell 
her  father  about  it.  The  old  lord  got  very  angry. 
"What,"  said  he,  "do  you  wish  to  dishonor  me? 
Marry  a  gardener,  an  adventurer?  No  one 
knows  where  he  comes  from,  or  who  he  is!" 

But  the  young  lady  was  so  persistent,  that  the 
old  lord,  who  had  no  child  but  her,  and  who  could 
refuse  her  nothing,  finally  yielded,  and  there  was 
a  grand  wedding,  with  holidays,  plays,  and  re- 
joicings of  every  sort. 


io8  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

The  first  night  after  the  wedding,  the  young 
husband  went  to  sleep  early.  The  new  wife  did 
not  sleep  at  all.  Towards  midnight  she  was 
amazed  to  see  her  chamber  suddenly  illuminated. 
Then  the  window  opened  and  she  saw  some  men 
with  horrible  faces  come  in,  who  put  up  a  gallows 
in  the  middle  of  the  room.  When  their  task  was 
finished,  they  went  straight  to  the  bed  and  took 
the  newly  married  man, — who  was  still  asleep, — 
passed  a  rope  around  his  neck,  and  fastened  him 
to  the  gibbet.  One  of  the  executioners  rested  his 
feet  on  his  shoulders; — then,  after  a  little  while 
they  unfastened  him  from  the  gallows,  put  him 
back  in  his  bed,  and  then  went  away  through  the 
window. 

The  young  woman  saw  all  this,  pale  and  hor- 
ror-stricken,—she  could  neither  move  nor  speak 
a  single  word.  Her  husband  was  lying  by  her 
side,  motionless,  cold  as  ice,  and  with  the  marks 
of  the  rope  around  his  neck. 

Suddenly  he  awoke  with  a  start,  and  cried 
out, — 

"Oh!  how  my  body  is  bruised!  and  how  sore 
my  throat  is!" 

Then  his  wife  threw  her  arms  around  him  and 
covered  him  with  kisses,  exclaiming, — 

"Oh!  thank  heaven,  you  are  not  really  dead!" 

"No,  indeed,  I  am  not  dead,  but  I  am  so  tired!" 

"I  thought  you  were  dead.     They  hung  you 


DESTINY  109 

there,  right  before  my  eyes,  in  the  middle  of  the 


room 


"Really?  ah!  God  be  praised!  for  my  destiny 
is  then  accomplished  and  I  am  released  from  my 
terrible  fate.  A  monk  told  my  mother  that  I 
should  be  hung  at  the  age  of  eighteen, — and  I 
am  eighteen  jTears  old  this  very  night!" 

They  lived  together  a  long  time,  happy  and 
fearing  God,  and  had  many  children. 

Told  by  Marguerite  Philippe,  of  Pluzunet  (Côtes-du- 
Nord). 

F.  M.  LuSel. 


THE  LITTLE  ANT  THAT  WAS  GOING 
TO  JERUSALEM,  AND  THE  SNOW 


I 


"^HERE  was  once  a  little  ant  that  was 
going  to  Jerusalem. 

She  met  the  snow  and  the  snow 
cracked  the  paw  of  the  little  ant  that  was  going 
to  Jerusalem. 

"Oh!  snow,  how  strong  you  are,  to  crack  the 
paw  of  the  little  ant  that  is  going  to  Jerusa- 
lem!" 

And  the  snow  replied,  "The  sun  that  melts  me 
is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh!  sun,  how  strong  you  are,  to  melt  the 
snow,  that  cracks  the  paw  of  the  little  ant  that  is 
going  to  Jerusalem  !" 

And  the  sun  replied,  "The  cloud  that  hides 
me  is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh!  cloud,  how  strong  you  are,  to  hide  the 
sun,  that  melts  the  snow,  that  cracks  the  paw  of 
the  little  ant  that  is  going  to  Jerusalem!" 

And  the  cloud  replied,  "The  wind  that  drives 
me  away  is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh  !  wind,  how  strong  you  are,  to  drive  away 

the  cloud,  that  hides  the  sun,  that  melts  the  snow, 

that  cracks  the  paw  of  the  little  ant  that  is  going 

to  Jerusalem!" 

no 


THE  LITTLE  ANT  1 1 1 

And  the  wind  replied,  "The  mountain  that 
stops  me  is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh!  mountain,  how  strong  you  are,  to  stop  the 
wind,  that  drives  away  the  cloud,  that  hides  the 
sun,  that  melts  the  snow,  that  cracks  the  paw  of 
the  little  ant  that  is  going  to  Jerusalem!" 

And  the  mountain  replied,  "The  mouse  that 
bores  through  me  is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh!  mouse,  how  strong  you  are,  to  bore 
through  the  mountain,  that  stops  the  wind,  that 
drives  away  the  cloud,  that  hides  the  sun,  that 
melts  the  snow,  that  cracks  the  paw  of  the  little 
ant  that  is  going  to  Jerusalem  !" 

And  the  mouse  replied,  "The  cat  that  eats  me 
is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh  !  cat,  how  strong  you  are,  to  eat  the  mouse, 
that  bores  through  the  mountain,  that  stops  the 
wind,  that  drives  away  the  cloud,  that  hides  the 
sun,  that  melts  the  snow,  that  cracks  the  paw  of 
the  little  ant  that  is  going  to  Jerusalem!" 

And  the  cat  replied,  "The  dog  that  chases  me 
is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh!  dog,  how  strong  you  are,  to  chase  the  cat, 
that  eats  the  mouse,  that  bores  through  the  moun- 
tain, that  stops  the  wind,  that  drives  away  the 
cloud,  that  hides  the  sun,  that  melts  the  snow, 
that  cracks  the  paw  of  the  little  ant  that  is  going 
to  Jerusalem!" 

And  the  dog  replied,  "The  stick  that  beats  me 
is  a  great  deal  stronger." 


112  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Oh!  stick,  how  strong  you  are,  to  beat  the 
dog,  that  chases  the  cat,  that  eats  the  mouse,  that 
bores  through  the  mountain,  that  stops  the  wind, 
that  drives  away  the  cloud,  that  hides  the  sun,  that 
melts  the  snow,  that  cracks  the  paw  of  the  little 
ant  that  is  going  to  Jerusalem!" 

And  the  stick  replied,  "The  fire  that  burns  me 
is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh!  fire,  how  strong  you  are,  to  burn  the 
stick,  that  beats  the  dog,  that  chases  the  cat,  that 
eats  the  mouse,  that  bores  through  the  mountain* 
that  stops  the  wind,  that  drives  away  the  cloud, 
that  hides  the  sun,  that  melts  the  snow,  that  cracks 
the  paw  of  the  little  ant  that  is  going  to  Jerusa- 
lem!" 

And  the  fire  replied,  "The  water  that  puts  me 
out  is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh!  water,  how  strong  you  are,  to  put  out  the 
fire,  that  burns  the  stick,  that  beats  the  dog,  that 
chases  the  cat,  that  eats  the  mouse,  that  bores 
through  the  mountain,  that  stops  the  wind,  that 
drives  away  the  cloud,  that  hides  the  sun  that 
melts  the  snow,  that  cracks  the  paw  of  the  little 
ant  that  is  going  to  Jerusalem!" 

And  the  water  replied,  "The  cow  that  drinks 
me  is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh!  cow,  how  strong  you  are,  to  drink  the 
water,  that  puts  out  the  fire,  that  burns  the  stick, 
that  beats  the  dog,  that  chases  the  cat,  that  eats 


THE  LITTLE  ANT  113 

the  mouse,  that  bores  through  the  mountain,  that 
stops  the  wind,  that  drives  awajr  the  cloud,  that 
hides  the  sun,  that  melts  the  snow,  that  cracks  the 
paw  of  the  little  ant  that  is  going  to  Jerusalem!" 

And  the  cow  replied,  "The  man  who  kills  me 
is  a  great  deal  stronger." 

"Oh!  man,  how  strong  you  are,  to  kill  the  cow, 
that  drinks  the  water,  that  puts  out  the  fire,  that 
burns  the  stick,  that  beats  the  dog,  that  chases  the 
cat,  that  eats  the  mouse,  that  bores  through  the 
mountain,  that  stops  the  wind,  that  drives  away 
the  cloud,  that  hides  the  sun,  that  melts  the  snow, 
that  cracks  the  paw  of  the  little  ant  that  is  going 
to  Jerusalem!" 

And  the  man  replied,  "God  is  much  stronger, 
who  can  kill  the  man,  that  killed  the  cow,  that 
drinks  the  water,  that  puts  out  the  fire,  that  burns 
the  stick,  that  beats  the  dog,  that  chases  the  cat, 
that  eats  the  mouse,  that  bores  through  the  moun- 
tain, that  stops  the  wind,  that  drives  away  the 
cloud,  that  hides  the  sun,  that  melts  the  snow,  that 
cracks  the  paw  of  the  little  ant  that  is  going  to 
Jerusalem!" 

Told  in  1876,  by  M.  G.  de  la  Landelle,  the  maritime 
novelist,  who  had  learned  it  in  his  childhood,  at  Mont- 
pellier. 

F.  M.  Luzel. 


THE  MOST  POWERFUL  HUSBAND  IN 
THE  WORLD 

AN  ARABIAN  STORY 

T  is  said  that  a  monk,  whose  prayers  were  al- 
ways answered,  was  one  day  seated  on  the 
seashore,  when  he  saw  a  kite  fly  holding  in 
one  of  its  claws  a  little  mouse,  which  escaped  and 
fell  on  the  monk.  Touched  with  compassion  for 
the  mouse,  he  took  it,  wrapped  it  up  in  a  leaf,  and 
carried  it  home  with  him. 

Fearing  that  his  people  would  not  be  very  eager 
to  care  for  it,  he  prayed  his  Lord  to  change  it  into 
a  young  girl  ;  and  immediately  it  became  a  young 
girl  gifted  with  great  beauty.  The  monk  led  her 
to  his  wife,  and  said  to  the  latter, — 

"Here  is  a  girl  who  belongs  to  me,  and  I  de- 
sire that  you  shall  treat  her  as  my  own  child." 

When  she  had  come  to  the  age  of  womanhood, 
the  monk  said  to  her,- — 

"My  dear  daughter,  you  are  quite  grown  up, 

and  you  absolutely  must  have  a  husband  ;  choose 

then, -one  to  suit  yourself,  so  that  I  may  unite  you 

to  him." 

"Since  you  leave  me  free  to  choose,"  she  re- 
114 


THE  MOST  POWERFUL  HUSBAND     115 

plied,  "I  wish  for  my  husband,  he  who  is  the 
most  powerful  in  the  world.'' 

"Perhaps  you  would  like  the  sun?"  said  he; 
and  he  went  to  find  the  sun,  and  said  to  it, — 

"O!  thou  who  art  so  essentially  great,  I  have 
a  daughter  who  desires  to  have  for  a  husband  he 
who  is  the  most  powerful  in  the  world  ;  would  you 
be  willing  to  marry  her?" 

"I  will  show  you  some  one  who  is  more  pow- 
erful than  I,"  said  the  sun;  "it  is  the  cloud  which 
obscures  me,  and  makes  my  rays  pale  and  tar- 
nishes the  splendor  of  my  fires." 

The  monk  went  to  the  cloud  and  repeated  to 
him  the  sun's  words. 

"And  I,"  said  the  cloud,  "I  will  show  you  some 
one  more  powerful  than  I  ;  go  find  the  wind  which 
makes  me  come  and  go,  which  drives  me  from 
east  to  west." 

The  monk  went  to  find  the  wind,  and  said  to 
him  the  same  things  which  he  had  said  to  the 
cloud;  but  the  wind  said  to  him  also, — 

"I  will  show  you  some  one  more  powerful  than 
I  ;  it  is  the  mountain  that  I  cannot  move." 

Then  the  monk  went  to  speak  to  the  mountain, 
which  made  him  this  reply, — 

"I  will  show  you  some  one  more  powerful  than 
I  ;  it  is  the  rat,  against  which  I  cannot  defend  my- 
self, when  he  bores  into  me  and  makes  his  home 
in  me." 


n6  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

At  last  the  monk  went  and  said  to  the  rat, — 
"Do  you  wish  to  marry  my  young  daughter?" 
1  "And  how  could  I  do  so?"  cried  the  rat.  "My 
hole  is  narrow,  and  a  rat  only  marries  a  mouse." 
The  monk  then  prayed  his  Lord  to  change  the 
young  girl  into  a  mouse,  as  she  was  before,  and 
this  to  the  entire  contentment  of  the  young  girl. 
Immediately  she  resumed  her  original  shape,  and 
she  ran  away  with  the  rat. 


THE  NINE  BROTHERS,  WHO  WERE 

CHANGED  TO  SHEEP,  AND 

THEIR  SISTER 

A   BRETON    STORY 

r  |  ^HERE  were  once  nine  brothers  and  their 
sister,  who  were  left  orphans.  They 
were  rich  also,  and  lived  in  an  old  castle 
in  the  midst  of  a  forest.  The  sister,  whose  name 
was  Lévénez,  who  was  the  oldest  of  the  ten  chil- 
dren, undertook  the  direction  of  the  house,  when 
the  old  lord  died,  and  her  brothers  consulted  and 
obeyed  her  in  everything,  as  if  she  had  been 
their  mother.  They  often  went  hunting  in  the 
woods,  which  were  full  of  all  sorts  of  game.  One 
day,  following  a  roe,  they  came  to  a  hut  built 
of  branches  of  trees,  wattled  together  with  clods 
of  dirt.  It  was  the  first  time  they  had  seen  it. 
Curious  to  know  who  could  live  in  it,  they  en- 
tered under  pretence  of  asking  for  some  water 
to  quench  their  thirst.  They  saw  only  an  old 
woman  with  teeth  as  long  as  one's  arm,  and 
whose  tongue  went  nine  times  round  her  body. 
Frightened  at  this  sight,  they  were  about  to  run 

away,  when  the  old  woman  said  to  them, — 

117 


n8  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"What  do  you  want,  my  children?  Come  in, 
and  do  not  be  so  frightened  ;  I  love  children  very 
much,  especially  when  they  are  good  and  gentle 
like  you." 

"We  should  like  a  little  water,  if  you  please, 
grandmother,"  said  the  oldest,  whose  name  was 
Goulven. 

"Certainly,  my  children;  I  will  give  you  some 
fresh,  clear  water,  which  I  drew  this  morning, 
from  my  fountain.  But  come  in,  and  do  not  be 
afraid,  my  poor  dears." 

And  the  old  woman  gave  them  some  water  in 
a  wooden  porringer,  and  while  they  drank  it,  she 
caressed  them,  stroking  the  soft  curls  of  their 
blond  hair,  and  when  they  were  ready  to  go, 
she  said  to  them,  "Now,  my  children,  you  must 
pay  me  for  the  little  service  I  have  rendered  you." 

"We  have  no  money  with  us,  grandmother," 
replied  the  children,  "but  we  will  ask  our  sister 
for  some,  and  bring  it  to  you  to-morrow." 

"Oh!  it  is  not  money  I  want,  my  friends;  but 
one  of  you, — the  oldest,  perhaps,  for  the  others 
are  still  very  young, — must  take  me  for  his 
wife." 

And  turning  to  Goulven, — 

"Will  you,  Goulven,  take  me  to  be  your  wife?" 

The  poor  boy  could  not  reply  at  once,  the  re- 
quest seemed  so  strange  to  him. 

"Come,  answer,  will  you  have  me  for  your  little 


THE  NINE  BROTHERS  119 

wife?"  asked  the  horrible  old  woman  again,  em- 
bracing him. 

"I  do  not  know,"  said  Goulven,  confounded; 
"I  will  ask  my  sister." 

"Very  well;  to-morrow  morning  I  will  come 
myself  to  the  castle,  for  your  answer." 

The  poor  children  returned  to  the  house,  sad 
and  trembling,  and  hastened  to  tell  their  sister  all 
that  had  happened. 

"Shall  I  be  obliged  to  marry  that  horrible  old 
woman,  sister?"  asked  Goulven,  weeping. 

"No,  my  brother,  you  shall  not  marry  her,"  re- 
plied Lévénez;  "I  know  that  we  shall  all  have  to 
suffer  for  it,  but  we  will  endure  whatever  comes 
to  us,  and  we  will  never  abandon  you." 

The  next  day,  the  sorceress  came  to  the  castle 
as  she  had  promised.  She  found  Lévénez  and  her 
brothers  in  the  garden. 

"You  know,  doubtless,  why  I  have  come,"  said 
she  to  Lévénez. 

"Yes;  my  brother  has  told  me  everything," 
said  the  young  girl. 

"And  you  are  very  willing  that  I  should  be- 
come your  sister-in-law?" 

"No;  that  cannot  be." 

"Why  not?  Perhaps  you  do  not  know  who  I 
am,  and  what  I  can  do." 

"I  know  that  you  can  do  a  great  deal  of  harm 
to  my  brothers  and  me  ;  but  you  cannot  force  me 
to  consent  to  what  you  ask." 


i2o  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Think  well  of  it,  and  repent  quickly  of  this 
foolish  resolution,  while  there  is  yet  time,  or  mis- 
ery to  you!"  cried  the  sorceress,  furious,  and  her 
eyes  shone  like  two  burning  coals. 

Lévénez's  nine  brothers  trembled  all  over  ;  but 
she,  calm  and  resolute,  replied  to  these  threats, — 

"I  have  thought  of  it  all,  and  I  shall  change 
nothing  of  all  I  have  said." 

Then  the  horrible  old  woman  turned  a  wand, 
which  she  carried  in  her  hand,  towards  the  castle, 
pronbunced  a  magic  sentence,  and  immediately 
the  castle  fell  to  the  ground  with  a  great  noise. 
Not  one  stone  was  left  upon  another.  Then 
turning  the  wand  towards  the  nine  brothers,  who 
were  hiding  behind  their  sister  in  great  terror, 
she  pronounced  another  magic  sentence  and  the 
nine  brothers  were  immediately  changed  into  nine 
white  sheep.  Then  she  said  to  Lé  venez,  who  still 
retained  her  natural  form, — 

"Now,  you  can  go  and  keep  your  sheep  in  this 
plain.  And  take  care  never  to  tell  any  one  that 
they  are  your  brothers,  or  the  same  thing  will 
happen  to  you."     Then  she  went  away,  sneering. 

The  beautiful  gardens  of  the  castle,  and  the 
grand  wood  which  surrounded  it,  had  been 
changed  also,  instantly,  into  a  great  arid  and  des- 
olate plain. 

Poor  Lévénez,  left  alone  with  her  nine  white 
sheep,  pastured  them  on  the  open  plain,  and  never 


THE  NINE  BROTHERS  121 

lost  them  from  her  sight  a  moment.  She  sought 
for  tufts  of  fresh  grass,  which  they  ate  from  her 
hand,  and  she  played  with  them,  caressed  them, 
embraced  them,  and  talked  to  them  as  if  they  un- 
derstood her.  And  indeed  they  appeared  to  un- 
derstand her.  One  of  them  was  larger  than  the 
others;  it  was  Goulven,  the  oldest  of  the  brothers. 
Lévénez  had  built  a  shelter,  a  sort  of  hut,  with 
stones,  clods  of  earth,  moss  and  dry  grasses,  and 
at  night,  or  when  it  rained,  she  took  refuge  there 
with  her  sheep.  But  when  the  weather  was  fine, 
she  ran  and  played  about  in  the  sun  with  them,  or 
sang  songs,  or  recited  her  prayers,  to  which  they 
listened  attentively,  all  ranged  in  a  circle  around 
her.  She  had  a  very  beautiful  voice,  clear  and 
correct. 

One  day  a  young  lord  who  was  hunting  in  those 
parts,  was  astonished  to  hear  such  a  beautiful 
voice  in  a  place  so  deserted.  He  stopped  to  lis- 
ten; then  going  in  the  direction  from  which  it 
came,  he  soon  found  himself  in  the  presence  of  a 
lovely  young  girl,  surrounded  by  nine  white 
sheep,  who  appeared  to  love  her  very  much.  He 
spoke  to  her  and  was  so  struck  with  her  sweet- 
ness, her  wit,  and  her  beauty,  that  he  wished  to 
take  her  and  her  sheep  away  with  him  to  his  cas- 
tle. She  refused  to  go.  But  the  young  lord 
could  think  of  nothing  but  the  pretty  shepherdess, 
and  every  day,  under  pretence  of  hunting,  he 


122  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

went  to  see  her  and  talk  with  her  in  the  great 
plain.  At  last  he  carried  her  away  with  him  to 
his  castle,  and  they  were  married,  and  there  were 
long  holidays  and  great  feasting. 

The  nine  sheep  had  been  installed  in  the  gar- 
den of  the  castle,  and  Lévénez  passed  almost  all 
her  days  there,  playing  with  them,  caressing  them, 
and  talking  to  them  as  if  they  understood  her; 
and  they  did  indeed  seem  to  understand  all  that 
she  said  to  them.  Her  husband  was  astonished 
to  see  them  so  intelligent,  and  he  asked  himself 
if  it  were  possible  that  they  could  be  real  sheep. 

Lévénez  had  an  attendant  who  was  the  wife  of 
the  castle  gardener,  and  who  was  also  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  old  woman  who  had  changed  her  broth- 
ers into  sheep;  but  of  this  she  knew  nothing. 
One  day,  when  Lévénez  was  leaning  over  the 
edge  of  a  well  which  was  in  the  garden,  to  see 
how  deep  it  was,  her  attendant  took  her  by  the 
feet  and  threw  her  down  the  well.  Then  she  ran 
to  her  mistress'  chamber,  got  into  her  bed,  and 
drew  the  curtains  close  around  the  bed  and  at 
the  windows,  and  pretended  to  be  sick.  The  lord 
was  absent  at  the  moment.  But  on  his  return, 
not  finding  his  wife  in  the  garden  among  her 
sheep  as  usual,  he  went  to  her  chamber. 

"What  is  the  matter,  my  sweetheart?"  said 
he. 

"I  am  very  sick,"  replied  the  traitress;  and 


THE  NINE  BROTHERS  123 

when  he  was  about  to  open  the  curtains,  "Don't 
open  the  curtains,  I  beg  you  ;  I  cannot  stand  the 
light." 

"Why  are  you  alone?  Where  is  your  attend- 
ant?" 

"I  do  not  know;  I  have  not  seen  her  the  whole 
day  long." 

The  lord  looked  for  her  in  the  castle,  and  then 
in  the  garden,  and  not  finding  her,  he  returned 
to  his  wife,  and  said  to  her, — 

"I  do  not  know  what  has  become  of  your  at- 
tendant. I  cannot  find  her  anywhere.  Do  you 
want  anything?     Perhaps  you  are  hungry?" 

"Oh,  yes!  I  am  very  hungry." 

"What  would  you  like  to  eat?" 

"I  must  have  a  bit  of  that  big  white  sheep  in 
the  garden." 

"What  a  strange  notion!  You  who  love  your 
sheep  so  much,  and  this  one  most  of  all!" 

"That  is  the  only  thing  that  will  soothe  the 
frightful  pain  I  suffer.  But  do  not  make  any 
mistake;  I  want  a  piece  of  the  big  white  sheep, 
and  not  of  any  other." 

The  husband  went  to  the  garden  and  ordered 
the  gardener  to  take  the  big  white  sheep  and  kill 
it  at  once  and  put  it  on  the  kitchen  spit. 

So  the  gardener,  who  was  conniving  with  the 
attendant,  ran  after  the  white  sheep.  But  it  ran 
so  fast  round  and  round  the  well,  bleating  so 


124  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

pitifully  all  the  time,  that  he  could  not  catch  it. 
The  lord,  seeing  this,  wanted  to  help  him,  and 
went  up  to  the  well.  He  was  astonished  to  hear 
moans  and  groans  which  seemed  to  come  up  from 
it.     He  leaned  over  the  opening  and  called  out, — 

"Who  is  there?  is  there  any  one  down  the 
well?" 

And  a  gentle  voice  that  he  knew  so  well,  an- 
swered him, — 

"Yes,  it  is  I,  your  wife,  Lévénez." 

The  lord,  without  waiting  to  hear  more,  quickly 
lowered  the  bucket  into  the  well  and  drew  up  his 
wife.     She  was  all  trembling  and  terrified. 

Soon  after  this  occurrence  a  child  was  born  to 
them,  a  son,  as  beautiful  as  the  day. 

Lévénez  said  it  must  be  baptized  at  once. 

"You  may  choose  the  godmother,  if  you  wish, 
but  I  want  my  big  white  sheep  for  the  god- 
father," said  she  to  her  husband. 

"What!  have  a  sheep  for  your  son's  god- 
father?" 

"I  wish  it,  I  tell  you;  do  as  I  say  and  do  not 
be  uneasy  about  it." 

Not  wishing  to  cross  his  young  wife,  and  fear- 
ing lest  he  should  make  her  sick,  the  father  con- 
sented, though  grieved  at  his  heart,  that  the  big 
white  sheep  should  be  his  son's  godfather. 

They  went  to  church.  The  big  white  sheep, 
very  happy,  walked  in  front  with  the  father  and 


THE  NINE  BROTHERS  125 

the  godmother,  a  young  and  beautiful  princess. 
The  other  eight  sheep,  his  brothers,  followed 
him.  The  whole  procession  entered  the  church, 
to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  village  people. 
The  father  presented  the  child  to  the  priest.  The 
latter  looked  at  the  godmother,  but  seeing  no  god- 
father, he  asked, — 

"Where  is  the  godfather?" 

"Here  he  is,"  replied  the  father,  pointing  to  the 
big  white  sheep. 

"What!  a  sheep?" 

"Yes,  it  seems  so;  but  do  not  stop  for  a  mat- 
ter of  form,  but  go  on  without  fear  with  the 
service." 

The  priest  made  no  more  objections,  such 
transformations  being,  doubtless,  common  in  his 
day,  and  proceeded  to  baptize  the  child. 

The  sheep  then  raised  himself  on  his  two  hind 
legs,  took  his  godson  in  his  two  forelegs,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  godmother,  and  all  passed  off 
very  well. 

But  as  soon  as  the  ceremony  was  over,  the 
sheep  godfather  became  a  handsome  young  man. 
He  was  Goulven,  Lévénez's  oldest  brother. 

He  told  how  he  and  his  brothers  had  been 
changed  into  sheep  by  an  old  sorceress  because 
he  had  refused  to  marry  her.  His  sister,  the 
child's  mother,  could  not  tell  of  it  lest  the  same 
fate  should  befall  her;  but  now  the  charm  was 


126  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

broken,  and  the  sorceress  had  no  longer  any 
power  over  them. 

"Are  the  sheep  really  your  brothers?"  asked 
the  priest. 

"Yes,  they  are  my  brothers,  and  the  time  has 
come  for  them  also  to  escape  from  the  power  of 
the  sorceress,  and  return  to  their  human  form. 
Lay  your  stole  over  them,  say  a  prayer,  and  you 
will  see  them  become  men  again,  as  I  have  done." 

The  priest  followed  his  advice  :  he  laid  his  stole 
on  each  of  the  sheep  successively,  recited  a  prayer 
each  time,  and  immediately  they  resumed  their 
original  form. 

Goulven  then  told  of  the  terrible  deed  which 
had  been  done  to  his  sister  by  her  attendant,  the 
daughter  of  the  sorceress. 

So  they  returned  to  the  castle  determined  to 
treat  each  one  as  she  had  deserved. 

They  sent  men  to  seek  for  the  old  sorceress  in 
the  wood  where  she  dwelt,  and  when  they  brought 
her,  she  and  her  daughter  and  the  gardener  were 
torn  to  pieces  by  four  horses  and  then  thrown 
into  a  great  fire  and  burned  to  ashes. 

Goulven  and  Lévénez  lived  after  that  peace- 
fully and  happily,  and  were  blessed,  they  say, 
with  many  children. 

Told  by  Le  Noac'h,  of  Gourin,  at  Merville,  near  Lorient, 
March  10,  1874. 

F.  M.  Luzel. 


THE  KING  AND  HIS  THREE  SONS 

NCE  there  was  a  king  who  had  three 
sons.  He  wanted  to  lay  aside  his  crown. 
In  his  kingdom  it  was  the  custom  to  give 
it  tc  the  oldest;  but  as  this  king  loved  hi.c  three 
children  equally,  he  could  not  resolve  to  obey 
this  custom  and  exclude  the  youngest  in  advance. 
He  wished  that  each  of  his  children  should  have 
equal  chance  to  succeed  him.  He  decided  that 
the  crown  should  belong  to  whoever  of  his  sons 
should  bring  him  the  most  beautiful  flower.  He 
called  them  together  and  said  to  them, — 

"The  crown  shall  belong  to  the  one  who  shall 
bring  me  the  most  beautiful  flower;  go  and 
search." 

The  three  sons  started  out,  each  his  own  way, 
after  having  agreed  to  meet  in  a  field  well  known 
to  them.  The  first  who  reached  the  field  was  the 
oldest.  He  brought  a  beautiful  flower.  The 
second  arrived  next,  with  a  flower  still  more 
beautiful.     The  oldest,  seeing  it,  said  bitterly, — 

"I  shall  not  have  the  crown!" 

The  youngest  came  last.  His  flower  was  so 
beautiful  that  it  eclipsed  those  of  his  brothers. 

"I  shall  not  have  the  crown,"  said  the  oldest  to 

127 


128  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

himself,  angrily  ;  and  seizing  the  knife  which  hung 
from  his  girdle,  he  struck  his  youngest  brother 
and  killed  him. 

The  father,  grieved  at  not  seeing  his  youngest 
child  return,  continued  to  wait  for  him  before  re- 
signing his  crown.  The  younger  was  so  much 
afraid  of  the  oldest  that  he  dared  not  speak. 

Several  years  had  passed  after  the  murder, 
when  a  shepherdess,  who  was  keeping  her  sheep 
in  the  field  where  the  three  brothers  had  had  their 
meeting,  found  a  bone  made  like  a  flute. 

She  put  it  to  her  lips  and  blew.  A  voice  came 
out  of  it  which  sang, — 

"Blow  softly,  shepherdess, 
Blow,  blow  softly; 
The  knife  from  the  girdle 
Cruelly  killed  me." 

The  king  heard  that  the  shepherdess  had  found 
a  bone  like  a  flute  which  made  harmonious 
sounds.  He  had  it  brought  to  him,  put  it  to  his 
mouth  and  blew.     The  bone  sang, — 

"Blow  softly,  my  father. 
Blow,  blow  softly  ; 
The  knife  from  the  girdle 
Cruelly  killed  me." 

The  king  called  his  younger  son,  handed  him 
the  bone  and  told  him  to  blow  in  it.  The  son 
blew;  the  bone  sang, — 


THE  KING  AND  HIS  SONS  129 

"Blow  softly,  my  brother. 
Blow,  blow  softly; 
The  knife  from  the  girdle 
Cruelly  killed  me." 

The  king  called  his  oldest  son,  handed  him  the 
bone  and  told  him  to  blow  in  it.  The  son  blew; 
the  bone  sang, — 

"Blow  softly,  my  brother, 
Blow,  blow  softly  ; 
The  knife  from  thy  girdle 
Cruelly  killed  me." 

At  these  words,  "The  knife  from  thy  girdle," 
the  father  understood  it  all.  He  had  his  oldest 
son  quartered  at  once. 

Told  at  Fraisses  (Loire)  by  Jacques  Bayon,  Aug.  19, 
1877. 

V.  S. 


FANCH  SCOUARNEC 

A    BRETON    STORY 

RICH   lord   was   returning,   alone,   on 

horseback,  from  Brest  to  Rennes.     At 

Brest,   his   footman   had   left   him   and 

sailed.     He  wished  to  get  another  in  his  place, 

and  as  he  went  along  he  had  already  proposed 

to  more  than  one;  but  all  had  refused;  his  terms 

did  not  suit  them.     Between  Plounevez-Moëdec 

and  Belle-Isle-en-Terre  (doubtless  on  the  bridge 

of  Saint-Elo)  he  saw  by  the  roadside  a  little  hut, 

the  one  door  and  window  of  which  stood  open. 

He  got  down  from  his  horse  so  as  to  walk  up  to 

it.     He  went  to  the  hut  to  ask  for  a  fire  to  light 

his  pipe.     Holding  his  horse  by  the  bridle,  he 

put  his  head  in  at  the  door,  standing  with  one  foot 

inside  and  one  out.     His  horse  also  put  his  head 

in  through  the  window,  which,  as  I  have  said,  was 

open.     A  boy  of  twelve  or  thirteen  years  was 

alone  in  the  hut,  seated  by  the  hearth-stone. 

"Are  you  alone,  my  boy?"  asked  the  traveler. 

"No,"  replied  Fanch.     (His  name  was  Fanch 

Scouarnec.) 

130 


FANCH  SCOUARNEC  131 

"But  I  see  no  one  beside  you." 

"It  is  nevertheless  true,  that  there  are  in  this 
house  at  this  moment,  a  man  and  a  half  and  the 
head  of  a  horse." 

"You  love  to  joke  I  see,  but  give  me  a  little 
fire  to  light  my  pipe.     Where  is  your  father?" 

"My  father  has  gone  hunting,  and  he  will  leave 
what  he  catches,  and  bring  back  to  the  house  what 
he  does  not  catch." 

"That  seems  difficult;  and  where  is  your 
mother?" 

"My  mother  has  gone  to  the  oven  to  bake  some 
bread  that  has  been  eaten?" 

"Good,  good,  you  are  a  real  joker;  and  your 
sister?" 

"My  sister  is  crying  for  the  joy  of  last  year." 

"I  do  not  understand  any  of  it;  but  you,  what 
are  you  doing  there?" 

"I, — I  am  watching  some  leap  over  others  and 
catching  a  few." 

"Surely,  I  have  never  seen  any  one  so  full  of 
joke  as  you;  but  will  you  not  explain  it  all  to 
me? 

"There  is  nothing  easier,"  said  Fanch,  "and 
although  you  are  a  lord,  you  are  not  of  the  sharp- 
est, it  seems  to  me.  My  father  is  like  me;  he 
never  goes  out  alone;  he  is  always  accompanied 
by  a  crowd  of  little  animals  who  love  him  so 
that  they  would  like  to  eat  him  up.     Once  upon 


132  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

a  time,  when  there  were  too  many  of  them,  he 
seated  himself  down  there  in  the  sun,  and  went 
hunting  among  the  little  beasts  that  I  spoke  of. 
He  left  on  the  spot  those  he  caught  and  brought 
to  the  house  those  he  did  not  catch.  Do  you  un- 
derstand me  now?" 

"Perfectly." 

"My  mother  borrowed  some  bread  last  month 
and  she  has  gone  to  the  oven  to  bake  some  bread 
to  return  what  she  borrowed,  so  therefore  you 
see  she  has  gone 'to  bake  some  bread  already 
eaten.  My  sister  had  a  lover,  and  her  greatest 
happiness  was  to  go  walking  with  him  at  the 
hour  for  the  angelus,  and  dance  with  him  on  the 
new  threshing-floors;  but  after  promising  to 
marry  her,  he  left  her,  and  went  away  to  France, 
and  that  is  the  reason  she  is  crying  for  the  joy 
she  had  last  year.  And  as  for  me,  I  am  busy 
cooking  some  peas  in  a  pot,  and  wThen  the  pot 
boils  the  peas  leap  over  each  other,  and  with  my 
spoon  I  catch  some  of  them  and  eat  them.  Now, 
my  lord,  is  it  not  all  just  as  I  said?" 

"Yes,  upon  my  word!  But  you  have  not  ex- 
plained your  first  answer." 

"You  asked  me  if  I  was  alone  in  the  house; 
and  I  told  you  that  I  was  not  alone,  but  that 
there  were  here  a  man  and  a  half  and  the  head 
of  a  horse.  Now,  you  see,  you  have  your  head, 
one  foot,  and  half  your  body  inside  the  house, 


FANCH  SCOUARNEC  133 

and  I  am  entirely  inside,  that  makes  a  man  and  a 
half;  and  the  horse's  head  is  the  head  of  your 
horse  which  was  in  at  the  window." 

"I  see  that  there  are  bigger  fools  than  you  in 
the  country;  but  tell  me  now  where  this  road 
goes." 

"That  road,  my  lord,  does  not  go  anywhere; 
I  have  always  seen  it  there." 

"I  want  to  know  to  what  place  it  leads;  do 
you  hear  me?" 

"All!  that  is  different;  it  leads  to  Belle-Isle, 
to  Louargat,  to  Bré,  to  Guingamp,  and  even  to 
Paris,  they  say." 

"Very  well!  Would  you  like  to  come  with  me 
and  be  my  footman?" 

"Perhaps,  yes,  when  you  have  told  me  your 
terms." 

"I  will  give  you  a  hundred  crowns,  and  a  bag 
full  of  farthings,  when  you  shall  have  served  me 
for  a  year  and  a  day;  but  on  condition  that  you 
do  everything  I  command  you,  and  that  you  shall 
never  get  angry,  no  matter  what  is  said  to  you, 
or  what  you  are  ordered  to  do;  if  you  get  angry, 
you  shall  have  a  strip  of  skin  taken  off  from  your 
neck  to  your  heels,  and  be  sent  away  without  a 
penny." 

"The  sum  is  tempting,  a  hundred  crowns  !  but 
the  conditions  are  hard.  The  strip  of  skin  makes 
me  shiver.  But  now  about  your  part,  my  lord? 
Are  you  never  to  get  angry  either?" 


134  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"That  is  the  bargain," 

"If  you  do,  your  skin  shall  be  stripped  off 
too?" 

"Just  so;  it  shall  be  done  to  the  first  one  who 
gets  angry." 

"Very  well,  it  is  a  bargain;  I  will  go  with  you, 
and  I  will  go  with  you  now  while  my  father  and 
mother  are  away." 

So  they  both  started  off  on  horseback,  for  the 
lord  was  leading  the  horse  of  the  footman  who 
had  left  him  at  Brest. 

After  traveling  several  days  they  came  to  the 
lord's  castle.  At  first  Fanch  was  set  to  take  care 
of  two  children,  four  or  five  years  old,  with  the 
order  never  to  contradict  them  and  to  do  every- 
thing they  asked,  if  possible. 

"Very  well!"  said  Fanch;  "that  is  not  hard 
work  to  begin  with." 

That  evening"  when  they  were  at  the  table  (for 
Fanch  ate  with  the  master  and  mistress  of  the 
house,  so  as  to  be  always  with  the  children) ,  the 
two  little  brats  cried  out, — 

"I  want  to  get  down,  I  want  to  get  down!" 

"Come,  Fanch,  do  you  not  hear?"  said  the 
lady. 

"Yes,  yes,"  answered  Fanch;  and  he  took  them 
away.  He  had  only  eaten  his  soup,  and  when  he 
came  back  into  the  room  with  the  children,  the 
table  was  cleared  away,  there  was  nothing  left 
on  it. 


FANCH  SCOUARNEC  135 

"How  is  it  there  is  nothing  on  the  table?" 
asked  he,  after  waiting  a  while. 

"There  is  a  rule  in  my  house,"  replied  the  lord, 
"that  whoever  comes  after  the  table  has  been 
cleared  away  shall  have  nothing." 

"A  bad  rule!"  he  muttered. 

"Are  you  not  satisfied  with  it?" 

"Oh!  yes!  I  will  not  die  for  the  loss  of  one 
poor  meal;  I  was  used  to  that  at  my  father's 
house." 

"If  you  are  not  pleased,  you  can  have  your 
skin  taken  off." 

"I  am  pleased,  I  tell  you." 

The  next  day  at  supper,  Fanch  had  hardly  be- 
gun to  eat  his  soup,  when  the  little  brats  began 
to  cry  out, — 

"I  want  to  go." 

"Come,  Fanch,  do  you  not  hear?" 

And  Fanch  went  to  please  the  children. 

"Come,  children,  make  haste  and  go  back!" 
said  he  to  them. 

But  when  he  returned,  there  was  nothing  on 
the  table. 

"How  is  this,"  said  he;  "must  I  go  without 
supper  two  days  together?" 

"Are  you  dissatisfied,  Fanch?" 

"I  did  not  say  that;  but  the  children  could 
just  as  well  stay  and  let  me  eat  in  peace." 

"You  promised  to  do  everything  the  children 
asked,  and  if  you  are  displeased,  you  know — " 


136  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Yes,  yes,  I  am  entirely  satisfied." 

And  Fanch  went  to  bed  again  without  eating 
anything. 

"Ah!"  said  he,  "this  thing  cannot  go  on;  I 
must  eat  sometime;  we  will  see  how  it  will  be  to- 
morrow." 

The  next  day  the  children  began  their  song 
again. 

"Ah!"  cried  Fanch,  "this  is  no  way  to  live; 
I  must  put  an  end  to  it.  You  want  to  go,  my 
little  scamps?  Very  well,  go  to  the  devil!  I 
want  some  supper  to-night,  I  do!"  and  he  threw 
the  two  children  out  of  the  window. 

"Stop!"  cried  the  master  and  mistress,  ris- 
ing, "this  is  too  much!  To  throw  our  chil- 
dren out  of  the  window!  Ah!  you  shall  pay  for 
it!" 

"So  then  you  are  angry,  master?"  said  Fanch 
quickly. 

"I  am  not  angry,"  he  replied,  growing  a  little 
calmer,  "but  that  is  no  way  to  do;  it  is  a  mercy 
if  my  poor  children  are  not  crippled!" 

"If  you  are  angry,  master,  you  know  our  con- 
ditions, and  I  will  strip  off — " 

"I  tell  you  I  am  not  angry,  but  I  shall  not 
trust  my  children  with  you  again." 

"Just  as  you  like;  I  would  rather  do  anything 
than  mind  children  like  a  nurse." 

That  evening  Fanch  could  eat  comfortably. 
The  next  day  the  lord  said, — 


FANCH  SCOUARNEC  137 

"Go  to  the  blacksmith's  and  have  the  horses' 
feet  shod." 

"Very  well,"  said  Fanch;  "I  like  that  better 
than  minding  children." 

Then  he  went  to  the  stable,  cut  off  the  horses' 
feet  with  a  hatchet,  put  them  in  a  wagon,  and 
took  them  to  the  blacksmith.  That  evening  when 
he  returned,  the  lord  was  in  the  court-yard  of  the 
castle. 

"Here  are  your  horses'  feet,"  said  Fanch;  "see 
if  they  are  well  shod." 

"What  have  you  done,  you  miserable  crea- 
ture?" 

"Did  you  not  tell  me  to  have  the  horses'  feet 
shod?" 

"You  have  ruined  me,  you  wretch!" 

"Why,  master,  you  are  angry,  it  seems  to  me!" 

"Ah!  it  is  enough  to  make  me, — but  you  know 
very  well  that  I  do  not  get  angry  very  easily." 

"If  you  are  angry,  you  know — I  shall  strip  off 
your  skin — " 

"Go  to  your  supper  at  once  and  say  nothing  of 
this  to  your  mistress  ;  to-morrow  I  will  see  how  I 
can  employ  you." 

The  next  day  Fanch  was  sent  to  watch  a  great 
herd  of  beeves,  in  a  pasture  which  was  by  the  side 
of  the  high  road.  A  butcher  passed  along  the 
road.  He  went  into  the  pasture  and  began  to 
examine   and  feel   the  beeves.     "Fine   beeves." 


138  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

said  he  to  himself.  "They  are  fat  as  moles.  I 
have  to  furnish  the  meat  at  the  castle,  for  the 
wedding  of  the  young  lady,  which  will  take  place 
the  coming  week,  and  if  I  can  get  three  or  four 
of  these  beeves,  that  will  suit  me  exactly.  Eh! 
boy!"  cried  he  to  Fanch,  who  was  lying  under  a 
beech-tree  singing. 

"What  do  you  want?"  he  asked,  without  mov- 
ing. 

"Come  here,  so  that  I  can  speak  to  you." 

"Come  yourself,  if  you  want  me." 

Then  the  butcher  went  to  him,  saying  to  him- 
self,— 

"He  does  not  look  like  the  sharpest  kind  of  a 
fellow." 

"Will  you  sell  me  three  or  four  of  your 
beeves?" 

"All,  if  you  wish." 

"How  much  do  you  ask  for  them?" 

"Five  hundred  crowns,  and  the  tail  of  one  of 
them!" 

"Why,   for  goodness'   sake?" 

"Do  not  bother  about  that;  that  is  my  busi- 
ness." 

"Very  well,  agreed!     The  bargain  is  made!" 

And  they  shook  hands  with  each  other. 

"And  the  money  at  once,"  added  Fanch. 

The  butcher,  pleased  with  his  bargain,  counted 
the  five  hundred  crowns  to  him,  and  was  about  to 


FANCH  SCOUARNEC  139 

go  off  with  the  beeves,  when  Fanch  called  out, — 

"But  the  tail?     I  must  have  the  tail." 

"You  insist  upon  that,  do  you?" 

"Why,  certainly,  and  nothing  is  concluded 
without  it." 

Then  the  butcher  cut  off  the  tail  of  one  of  the 
beeves  and  gave  it  to  him. 

When  the  butcher  was  gone  with  all  the  beeves, 
Fanch  climbed  up  into  an  oak-tree,  with  the  tail, 
and  began  crying  out  with  all  his  might,  "Help! 
help!  help  at  once!" 

They  heard  his  cry  at  the  castle,  and  sent  a 
footman  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  Fanch, 
seeing  the  footman  coming,  called  to  him, — 

"Run  to  the  castle  and  tell  the  lord  to  come 
here  as  quickly  as  possible,  or  all  of  his  beeves 
will  be  lost." 

So  the  footman  ran  to  the  castle  and  said  to 
the  lord, — 

"Come  as  fast  as  you  can  to  the  field,  master, 
or  all  your  beeves  will  be  lost." 

The  lord  ran  to  the  field,  and  saw  Fanch  up 
in  a  tree,  and  apparently  holding  on  with  all  his 
might  to  the  tail  of  a  beef. 

"What  are  you  doing  there,  Fanch,  and  where 
are  the  beeves?" 

"Come  up  here  quickly,  my  poor  master,  come 
up  quickly,  or  you  will  lose  them  all!  A  terrible 
whirlwind  came  suddenly  and  carried  them  up  to 


140  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

the  sky,  each  holding  on  to  the  other  by  the  tail! 
I  seized  the  tail  of  the  last  one,  and  have  been 
lifted  up  here.  I  am  still  holding  on,  but  for 
goodness'  sake  make  haste  and  come  to  my  as- 
sistance, or  I  shall  have  to  let  go;  I  cannot  hold 
on  any  longer." 

So  the  lord  went  up  and  took  hold  of  the  tail 
also.  But  as  soon  as  he  did  so,  Fanch  let  go, 
and  his  master  fell  to  the  ground,  taking  the  tail 
along. 

"Alas!  my  poor  master,"  said  he  then,  "we 
held  on  so  long  that  the  tail  is  all  that  is  left; 
the  beeves  have  gone  to  heaven." 

The  poor  lord,  all  mangled  and  bleeding, 
swore  and  stormed. 

"Miserable  wretch,  accursed  rascal!  you  have 
almost  killed  me!" 

"Why,  master,  are  you  angry?"  asked  Fanch 
quietly;  he  was  still  in  the  tree. 

"And  who  would  not  be  angry?" 

"Well,  you  know  your  conditions,  and  I  shall 
strip  off  your  skin." 

"But  I  did  not  say  that  I  was  angry,  though 
indeed  I  think  I  had  good  right  to  be.  You  will 
ruin  me!  I  shall  be  thankful  if  you  do  not  kill 
me." 

Then  the  lord  returned  to  his  house,  rubbing 
his  back  and  trying  to  think  how  he  could  get 
rid  of  such  a  rascal. 


FANCH  SCOUARNEC  141 

The  next  day  he  sent  Fanch  to  take  care  of 
his  hogs.  A  hog  merchant  passed  by  on  his  way 
to  the  fair  at  Lannion. 

"Will  you  sell  me  your  hogs,  my  boy?"  said 
he  to  Fanch. 

"I  should  like  nothing  better,"  he  replied. 

"How  much  will  you  take?" 

"Two  hundred  crowns  and  the  tail  of  one  of 
them." 

"Agreed!     It  is  a  bargain!" 

"And  the  money  on  the  spot?" 

"Yes,  yes,  on  the  spot." 

Then  the  merchant  paid  two  hundred  crowns 
and  went  away,  taking  the  hogs  along. 

There  was  a  pond  near  by,  part  of  which  was 
all  marshy  and  filled  up  with  grass  and  branches 
of  trees.  Fanch  waded  in  up  to  his  stomach, 
and  began  to  call  out  as  loud  as  he  could.  He 
had  stuck  the  large  end  of  the  hog's  tail  which 
he  had,  down  in  the  mud,  and  was  pretending 
to  pull  it  up  with  all  his  might,  crying,  "Help! 
help!  help,  quickly!"  The  lord  was  walking  in 
the  wood,  not  far  from  the  pond,  and  ran  to  his 
assistance  on  hearing  his  cries. 

"What  is  the  matter  now?"  asked  he,  seeing 
Fanch  in  the  mud  up  to  his  stomach. 

"Come  quickly  and  help  me,  my  poor  master, 
or  we  shall  lose  all  of  them.  An  animal  unlike 
any  I  ever  saw  before, — a  frightful  creature,  a 


142  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

real  demon,  I  believe, — came  up  out  of  the  pond, 
when  I  was  not  dreaming  of  such  a  thing,  and 
then  went  back  again  dragging  my  hogs  after 
him,  all  holding  on  to  each  other  by  the  tail.  I 
caught  the  tail  of  the  last  one,  you  see!  Come 
help  me  to  pull  it  up,  for  if  we  can  pull  this  one 
up,  all  the  others  will  come  after  it.  Come 
quickly,  for  I  am  ready  to  let  go." 

Then  the  lord  went  into  the  pond  without 
hesitation,  and  began  to  pull  on  the  tail  with 
Fanch.  But  the  latter,  letting  go  suddenly,  he 
fell,  and  sinking  into  the  mud,  was  almost  stifled. 

"Alas!  they  are  all  lost!  They  are  gone  be- 
low!" cried  Fanch. 

The  other,  after  getting  out  with  great  diffi- 
culty, swore  and  threatened. 

"Why,  master,  are  you  angry?"  said  Fanch  to 
him,  jeeringly. 

"Leave  me  in  peace,  you  villain!  I  wish  you 
were  in  purgatory!" 

"If  you  are  angry,  you  have  only  to  give  me 
my  hundred  crowns,  with  the  bag  of  farthings, 
according  to  our  agreement,  and  I  will  go  when- 
ever you  wish  ;  but  before  I  go,  you  know,  I  will 
strip  off  your  skin  from  your  neck — " 

"Who  said  I  was  angry?  Though  indeed  I 
had  great  reason,  I  think;  you  will  ruin  me  ut- 
terly!" 

"What  could  I  do?  I  could  not  prevent  the 
demon's  taking  off  your  hogs." 


FANCH  SCOUARNEC  143 

"To-morrow  I  will  give  you  another  occupa- 
tion, and  as  soon  as  the  year  is  ended  you  shall 
go,  for  you  are  good  for  nothing." 

"As  you  like;  but  when  will  my  year  be 
ended  ?" 

"When  the  cuckoo  sings." 

The  next  day  the  lord  said  to  Fanch, — 

"Take  this  gun  and  come  with  me  into  the 
woods  ;  the  poachers  are  destroying  all  my  game, 
and  the  poor  people  of  the  whole  country  pro- 
vide themselves  with  wood  at  my  expense;  I 
want  to  see  after  these  matters." 

"Vrey  well,"  said  Fanch,  "that  suits  me." 

And  he  put  his  gun  on  his  shoulder,  and  fol- 
lowed his  master  to  the  woods.  At  the  edge  of 
it  they  saw  an  old  woman  who  had  a  great  load 
on  her  back. 

"Fire  at  her!"  said  the  lord  to  Fanch. 

"Must  I  do  it?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"And  if  I  kill  her?" 

"So  much  the  worse  for  her!  That  will  teach 
her  to  steal  my  wood." 

So  Fanch  fired,  bang!  and  the  old  woman 
rolled  over  on  the  ground  with  her  load.  They 
went  to  her. 

"She  is  dead!"  said  the  lord. 

"Quite,"  said  Fanch,  "unfortunately  for  you, 
for  I  should  not  like  to  be  in  your  place.     This 


144  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

old"  woman  has  two  sons, — two  jolly  fellows, 
upon  my  word,  and  when  they  know  that  you 
have  killed  their  mother, — " 

"But  it  was  you  who  killed  her." 

"Yes,  but  by  your  order;  I  am  your  servant, 
and  I  must  obey  you,  but  you  will  have  to  pay 
for  it." 

"You  frighten  me;  go  quickly  to  the  castle 
and  bring  me  two  shovels,  so  we  can  bury  her  in 
the  earth  and  no  one  will  know  anything  about 
it.  You  will  find  them  in  the  passage  near  the 
chamber  of  my  wife  and  daughter.  Put  them 
in  a  bag,  so  that  no  one  can  see,  and  return 
quickly." 

Fanch  went  to  the  castle  and  found  the  door 
of  the  lady's  room  open,  where  she  was  sitting 
with  her  daughter.     He  entered  and  said, — 

"My  master  has  ordered  me  to  put  both  of  you 
in  a  bag." 

"What  is  it  you  say,  idiot?  You  must  have 
lost  your  senses!" 

"You  shall  hear  him  say  it  himself." 

And  going  to  the  window,  he  called  out  to  the 
lord,  who  was  waiting  for  him  below, — 

"Both  of  them  in  a  bag,  shall  I  not,  my  lord?" 

"Yes,  both,  and  make  haste."  (He  meant  the 
two  shovels.) 

"Do  you  hear?     I  must  obey  my  master." 

And  he  seized  upon  the  mother  and  daughter, 


FANCH  SCOUARNEC  145 

and  succeeded,  not  without  difficulty, — for  they 
resisted  as  well  as  they  could, — in  shutting  them 
up  in  a  bag.  The  lord,  hearing  the  noise,  and 
their  screams,  ran  up  to  see  what  was  going  on. 

"What  trick  have  you  played  on  me  now,  mis- 
erable wretch,  demon  incarnate?"  cried  he,  seeing 
the  bag  rolling  on  the  floor,  and  hearing  the 
screams  that  came  out  of  it. 

"Well,  I  put  them  in  the  bag;  did  you  not  tell 
me  to  bring  you  two  women  in  a  bag?" 

"Two  women,  idiot!" 

"Bless  me!     I  thought  you  said  two  women." 

"I  have  a  good  mind  to  run  my  sword  through 
your  body." 

"You  are  angry  it  seems  to  me,  my  master." 

"Angry,  angry, — and  who  would  not  be  in  my 
place?" 

"Oh!  then  I  am  going  to  strip  off  your  skin." 

"But  I  am  not  angry  at  all.  I  said  nothing 
of  the  sort;  you  know  very  well  that  I  have  a 
good  temper,  and  that  I  never  get  angry.  But 
go,  run  quickly  to  the  woods,  take  two  shovels 
in  a  bag, — you  understand  now,  two  shovels, — 
and  do  what  I  told  you." 

The  lord  then  pulled  his  wife  and  daughter 
out  of  the  bag,  and  consulted  with  them  upon 
some  means  of  getting  rid  of  Fanch  as  soon  as 
possible. 

"It  was  agreed,"  said  the  lady,  "that  his  year 
should  end  when  the  cuckoo  began  to  sing." 


146  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Yes,  but  it  is  not  yet  time  for  the  cuckoo  to 
sing." 

"Pshaw!  that  boy  is  such  a  fool,  he  would  never 
know  what  time  of  the  year  the  cuckoo  ought  to 
sing  ;  to-morrow  I  will  make  the  cuckoo  sing  my- 
self." 

The  next  day,  just  as  Fanch  was  going  to  the 
wood  with  his  gun  on  his  shoulder,  he  heard, 
"Cuckoo!  cuckoo!"  from  a  large  oak-tree  which 
was  near  the  gate  of  the  court-yard. 

"What  is  this?"  said  he;  "does  the  cuckoo  sing 
in  the  month  of  February  in  this  country?  I 
will  teach  you  in  a  moment,  how  to  wait  till  the 
right  time  comes  to  sing,  vile  bird!" 

And  he  fired,  bang!  and  the  lady  fell  dead  at 
his  feet. 

"Why,  what  a  singular  cuckoo!"  said  he. 

"Ah!  you  demon!"  cried  the  lord,  "you  have 
killed  my  wife!  I  will  kill  you,  too,  as  I  would 
a  dog." 

"Oh  !  this  time  you  are  angry,  my  master,  you 
are  very  angry,  and  I  shall  strip  off  your  skin." 

"No,  I  am  not  angry,  because  I  never  get 
angry,  myself.  But  from  this  moment,  you  shall 
never  have  anything  to  do  at  the  castle  but  eat, 
drink,  and  go  walking;  for  you  would  bring  me 
to  beggary!" 

"Oh!  delightful!  that  is  just  what  I  had  wished 
for." 


FANCH  SCOUARNEC  147 

One  day  the  cuckoo  sang  at  last  in  the  month 
of  May.  They  gave  Fanch  his  hundred  crowns 
and  his  bag  of  farthings,  and  bade  him  farewell. 
And  he  returned  to  his  country,  without  having 
had  his  skin  stripped  off;  more  fortunate  than 
many  others  who  had  been  before  him  at  this  cas- 
tle; for  there  was  a  room  there  where  you  could 
see  a  great  number  of  skins  hung  up  against  the 
wall. 

With  the  five  hundred  crowns  that  he  got  for 
the  beeves,  the  two  hundred  crowns  for  the  hogs, 
and  the  hundred  crowns  and  the  bag  of  farthings 
for  his  wages,  he  found  himself  quite  rich. 
Moreover,  he  married  one  of  the  richest  heiresses 
in  his  neighborhood,  and  for  three  whole  days 
there  were  holidays  and  feasts,  to  which  all  the 
people  in  the  neighborhood  were  invited,  the  poor 
as  well  as  the  rich. 

Told  in  Breton  by  Barbe  Tassel,  Plouaret,  December, 
1868. 

F.  M.  Luzel. 


THE  ROEBUCK  HUNT 

AN    IROQUOIS   STORY 

AN  old  man  lived  in  a  cabin  with  his  grand- 
son, who  was  twenty  years  old.  They 
were  the  last  survivors  of  a  nation  ex- 
terminated by  the  sorceresses. 

The  young  man  was  a  good  hunter,  but  he  had 
one  great  trouble:  his  grandfather  forbade  his 
huting  the  roebuck,  without  giving  him  any  rea- 
son for  this  interdiction.  One  day,  returning 
from  the  hunt  sooner  than  usual,  the  young  man 
surprised  his  grandfather  making  soup  of  some 
bones.  Being  questioned  very  narrowly  on  the 
subject,  the  old  man  told  the  following  story: — 

"These  bones  that  you  have  seen  are  the  bones 
of  a  roebuck.  When  you  were  born,  our  nation 
was  numerous  and  powerful.  But  unfortu- 
nately there  were  some  young  people  who  would 
not  obey  their  chiefs.  These  young  people  be- 
came more  and  more  insolent,  and  were  imitated 
by  others.  The  Lord  of  life  became  angry  and 
sent  the  sorceresses  to  destroy  the  cabins:  you 
see  that  ours  is  the  only  one  now  remaining. 

Our  warriors  were  all  killed  or  made  prisoners. 

148 


THE  ROEBUCK  HUNT  149 

You  were  very  small  then;  I  carried  you  away 
with  me,  far  away,  to  a  nation  allied  to  ours — a 
fortunate  journey  which  saved  our  lives,  or  at 
least  spared  us  from  slavery.  But  what  do  I 
say  ?  Are  we  free  ?  Alas  !  no,  for  the  sorceresses 
allowed  us  to  live  only  on  condition  that  we 
should  never  hunt  the  roebuck,  and  never  eat  his 
flesh.  The  wolves  have  devoured  a  roebuck,  I 
gathered  up  the  remains,  these  few  naked  bones  ; 
I  could  not  resist  the  desire  to  taste  some  soup 
made  of  the  bones  and  to  eat  the  marrow  of 
them." 

Hearing  this  story,  the  young  man  became 
very  angiy  with  the  sorceresses,  and  resolved  to 
find  them  and  punish  them.  His  grandfather 
then  said  to  him. 

"Since  you  are  determined  to  go,  listen  to  me. 
You  will  be  obliged  to  go  through  a  forest  at  the 
end  of  which  there  is  a  place  where  there  are  a 
great  many  wolves  ;  throw  to  them  the  game  you 
kill  by  the  way,  and  you  will  then  be  able  to  catch 
them.  Soon  after,  you  will  come  to  the  country 
of  the  sorceresses;  then,  especially,  you  must  be 
very  cautious.  Take  care  not  to  touch  a  single 
ear  when  you  come  to  their  field  of  Indian  corn  ; 
or  else  immediately  they  will  surprise  you,  and 
you  will  be  lost." 

The  young  man  took  leave  of  the  old  man, 
promising  to  follow  his  instructions.     All  went 


150  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

well  till  just  when  he  went  to  the  sorceresses' 
corn-field.  The  ripe  ears  made  him  covetous, 
and  he  had  just  put  out  his  hand  when  suddenly 
he  heard  some  one  whisper  in  his  ear  to  go  along 
quietly  and  not  touch  a  single  ear.  He  had  only 
gone  a  few  steps  when  he  saw  a  skeleton  leaning 
against  the  enclosure  of  the  field,  as  if  put  there 
to  scare  away  the  birds.  It  was  one  of  the  vic- 
tims of  the  sorceresses  and  the  young  warrior's 
paternal  uncle.  He  recognized  his  nephew  and 
called  him  by  his  name. 

The  latter  coming  up  to  him,  his  skeleton  uncle 
told  him  everything  that  he  would  have  to  do 
when  he  went  into  the  presence  of  the  sorceresses. 
Furnished  with  these  instructions,  he  arrived  at 
the  dwelling  of  the  sorceresses.  He  was  well  re- 
ceived, and  they  contended  as  to  who  should  bring 
him  his  pottage.  The  skeleton  had  told  him  this 
beforehand;  "Each  sorceress,"  he  told  him,  "will 
bring  you  a  plate  of  corn  boiled  with  meat;  do 
not  accept  it,  for  if  you  do  you  make  a  fatal  en- 
gagement with  them.  Only  one,  the  youngest 
of  them,  will  not  invite  you  to  eat  out  of  her  plate, 
and  hers  is  really  the  corn  and  meat  of  which  you 
must  partake  :  you  must  put  the  spoon  in  boldly  ; 
she  will  give  you  a  sweet  smile,  and  by  this  you 
will  be  married.  Meanwhile  the  other  sorceresses 
will  wish  to  kill  you,  but  your  young  wife  will 
know  very  well  how  to  take  care  of  you:  you 
have  only  to  follow  our  counsels." 


THE  ROEBUCK  HUNT  151 

Everything  happened  as  he  said. 

When  evening  came,  the  }roung  sorceress  said 
to  her  husband, — 

"The  great  old  woman  will  come  to-night  to 
kill  you;  but  do  not  be  afraid,  I  will  waken  you 
in  time. 

Sure  enough,  about  midnight  the  great  old 
woman  came  suddenly  to  the  bedside  of  the  newly 
married  pair,  but,  surprised  at  finding  them 
awake,  she  went  away  without  having  been  able 
to  execute  her  design.  At  dawn  of  day  the  hus- 
band and  wife  arose,  and  the  wife  said  to  her 
husband, — 

"Go  find  your  uncle;  he  has  something  to  tell 
you,"  and  he  went  to  him  immediately. 

"My  nephew,"  said  the  skeleton  to  him,  "what 
you  must  do  now  is  to  seize  upon  the  bag  which 
is  in  the  chamber  of  the  great  old  woman." 

It  was  an  enchanted  bag  which  had  shut  up  in 
it  all  the  secrets  of  sorcery,  and  he  would  have 
been  entirely  unable  to  take  it  away  without  the 
aid  of  his  wife,  who  showed  him  how  to  do  it,  and 
procured  him  the  assistance  of  a  rat  that  helped 
him  by  cutting  the  string  of  the  bag  with  its 
teeth.  As  soon  as  this  was  done,  the  sorceresses 
uttered  cries  of  rage  and  despair.  What  did 
they  see?  Roebucks  running  here  and  there  in 
their  cornfield;  and  ducks,  each  wearing  a  heart 
around  his  neck.     It  was  all  over  with  the  sor- 


152  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

ceresses;  the  newly  married  husband,  instructed 
by  his  wife,  took  the  hearts,  one  after  the  other, 
and  broke  them.  They  were  the  hearts  of  the 
sorceresses.  The  vengeance  was  complete;  but 
there  was  one  more  thing  still  to  be  done, — they 
must  free  the  prisoners.  These  numerous  herds 
of  roebucks  wandering  about  the  country  are  a 
sign  of  good  fortune. 

"Do  you  see  that  tree  near  the  lake?"  said 
the  wife  to  her  husband;  "you  must  cut  it  down 
so  that  it  will  fall  across  the  lake  and  serve  as  a 
bridge." 

No  sooner  said  than  done;  thousands  of  war- 
riors rose  up  at  once  and  thanked  their  deliverer. 
Then  began  a  triumphal  march  to  their  own  coun- 
try; the  emblem  of  the  nation  was  erected,  the 
recaptured  roebuck  should  be  the  family  token 
of  the  children  that  should  be  born  to  the  young 
couple. 

Ten  days  had  scarcely  passed  since  the  grand- 
father and  his  grandson  had  parted.  Five  days, 
thanks  to  the  skill  of  the  young  sorceress,  was 
enough  for  the  journey  home.  The  joy  of  the 
old  man  on  seeing  his  grandson  again  and  hear- 
ing the  story  of  his  adventures,  can  scarcely  be 
imagined.  And  the  nation  arose  from  its  ruins 
and  became  more  powerful  than  before. 

J.  A.  Cuoq. 


PIERRE  AND  HELENE 

A   STORY   OF   LOWER  BRITANNY 

ONCE  there  were  two  orphans  who  lived 
in  a  village,  a  brother  and  a  sister;  the 
brother's  name  was  Pierre,  and  the  sis- 
ter's Hélène.  Pierre  was  married.  The  woman 
he  married  was  wicked  and  jealous,  and  from 
the  moment  she  entered  Pierre's  house  she  hated 
her  sister-in-law;  Hélène  was  good. 

A  year  passed,  and  Pierre  became  the  father 
of  a  little  girl. 

"Hélène  shall  be  her  godmother!"  said  he. 

"As  you  like,"  said  his  wife,  casting  an  angry 
glance  upon  the  poor  girl. 

Little  Hélène  grew;  and  when  she  began  to 
say  a  few  words  she  was  always  lisping  that  of 
her  good  godmother.  Pierre's  wicked  wife  was 
very  indignant  at  it. 

"Hypocrite!"  cried  she  in  a  rage,  "is  she  going 
to  deprive  me  of  my  child's  affection  as  she  has 
of  my  husband's  love?  I  will  find  some  sure 
means  of  driving  this  perfidious  creature  out  of 
the  house." 

153 


154  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

One  day  she  went  to  her  husband.  "See  here/' 
said  she,  "it  is  I  who  do  all  the  work;  your  sis- 
ter takes  her  pleasure  when  your  wife  is  worn 
out  with  fatigue;  she  folds  her  arms  from  morn- 
ing to  night  while  I  do  her  work  and  mine.  Send 
her  away,  then,  and  you  will  see  that  everything 
will  go  better  in  our  household." 

Pierre  was  very  sad  at  these  words,  for  he  loved 
Hélène  tenderly. 

"My  sister,"  said  he  to  her  the  next  day,  "it 
is  not  right  that  you  should  eat  the  bread  that 
others  have  earned,  and  be  idle  yourself." 

"I  milk,  I  bake  the  bread,  I  make  the  butter," 
said  Hélène;  "what  more  do  you  wish  me  to  do?" 

But  the  wicked  woman  could  not  restrain  her 
hatred,  and  a  few  days  after  this  she  said, — 

"I  cannot  stand  it  any  longer;  she  must  go!" 

And  she  ran  to  the  stable  and  killed  an  ox. 

"Pierre,  Pierre!"  cried  she  to  her  husband, 
"see  what  your  sister  Hélène  has  done;  she  has 
killed  one  of  your  oxen." 

"My  sister,  why  did  you  do  this?"  said  Pierre 
to  her,  greatly  mortified. 

"I  did  not  do  it,  brother,"  answered  Hélène 
sweetly. 

The  next  day  the  second  ox  died. 

"Pierre,  Pierre!"  cried  the  wicked  woman, 
"see  ;  your  other  ox  is  dead,  and  it  is  Hélène  who 
killed  this  one  also." 


PIERRE  AND  HELENE  155 

"I  shall  be  ruined  if  I  have  no  beasts  to  take 
into  the  fields,"  said  Pierre  to  his  sister,  "and 
this  is  the  second  one  of  my  oxen  that  you  have 
killed." 

"I  did  not  do  it,  brother,"  answered  Hélène 
quietly. 

The  next  day  the  horse  was  found  dead  in  the 
stable. 

"Pierre,  Pierre!  see  what  your  sister  has  done. 
Next  thing  she  will  set  the  house  on  fire." 

"Sister,"  said  Pierre,  "how  could  you  kill  my 
horse?  Do  you  wish  me  to  be  obliged  to  beg  my 
bread?" 

"I  did  not  do  it,  brother,"  Hélène  answered 
sadly. 

"Pierre,  Pierre!"  cried  the  wicked  woman,  the 
day  after,  "come  see  what  your  demon  of  a  sister 
has  done.  Look  at  our  child;  I  found  her  smoth- 
ered in  her  bed." 

Pierre  tore  out  his  hair  in  despair,  and  sent 
for  Hélène,  who  had  gone  out  to  her  work  early 
in  the  morning. 

"Sister,"  said  he  angrily,  "you  killed  my  oxen 
and  my  horse,  and  I  pardoned  you;  but  now 
you  have  killed  my  child:  you  must  leave  this 
house,  and  receive  the  punishment  for  your 
crimes!" 

Then  Pierre  cut  off  Hélène's  two  arms;  and 
they  prepared  to  go  away. 


156  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Where  are  you  going  to  take  me?"  said 
Hélène. 

"You  will  see,"  said  Pierre. 

"Give  me  my  mass-book,  brother,  and  let  my 
little  dog  go  with  me." 

Pierre  took  Hélène  a  long  distance,  and  they 
came  at  last  to  a  great  forest;  the  wind  blew 
through  the  trees  and  made  the  leaves  shake. 
Suddenly  a  large  oak-tree  fell.  Pierre  took  his 
sister  in  his  arms  and  placed  her  up  among  the 
branches;  he  opened  the  mass-book  and  laid  it 
on  her  lap,  and  the  little  dog  played  nimbly  by 
his  mistress'  side. 

"Farewell,  my  sister!"  said  Pierre,  turning 
away  to  wipe  his  tears. 

"Farewell!"  answered  Hélène. 

At  that  moment  she  saw  that  Pierre  had  hurt 
himself,  and  that  there  was  a  thorn  in  his  foot. 

"Go  on,  brother,"  said  she  to  him;  "some  day 
I  will  come  and  take  it  out." 

Pierre  went  on  his  way,  and  when  he  returned 
to  his  dwelling,  he  sat  down  beside  his  hearth- 
stone; and  suddenly  the  thorn  grew  immensely, 
and  a  great  tree  sprang  up  from  his  foot  and 
went  up  the  chimney.  He  was  thus  condemned 
to  remain  where  he  was  seated  and  to  wait  till 
his  sister  should  come  to  set  him  free  as  she  had 
promised  him. 

Hélène  continued  in  the  forest,  seated  in  the 


PIERRE  AND  HELENE  157 

top  of  the  great  tree,  and  the  wind  turned  the 
leaves  of  the  mass-book  she  had  on  her  knees. 
Hélène  prayed. 

At  the  hour  for  meals,  twice  a  day,  the  oak- 
tree  bent  down  as  if  blown  down  by  the  wind, 
and  the  little  dog  jumped  to  the  ground  and  went 
to  look  for  his  mistress'  breakfast. 

There  was  in  the  neighborhood  a  castle  where 
a  young  lord  and  his  mother  lived. 

Every  day,  for  some  time,  the  lady  of  the  cas- 
tle had  remarked,  on  sitting  down  to  her  table, 
that  several  of  her  dishes  had  been  partly  con- 
sumed. 

"See  here!"  said  she  to  her  astonished  servants, 
"who  is  permitted  to  eat  of  the  meats  before 
they  are  brought  to  the  table?  Is  it  proper  that 
my  son  and  I  should  eat  what  our  servants 
leave?" 

"Madam,"  said  the  steward,  "I  placed  those 
meats  there  only  a  moment  ago,  and  I  assure  you 
they  had  not  been  touched." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  lady  angrily;  "find  out 
as  soon  as  possible  who  this  insolent  creature  is, 
who  feeds  upon  our  meats  before  we  have  tasted 
them  ourselves." 

The  next  day,  at  the  dinner  hour,  the  steward 
took  his  place  near  the  table,  which  was  all  served 
for  dinner.  Suddenly  a  little  dog  leaped  in  at 
the  open  window;  he  held  a  handkerchief  be- 


158  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

tween  his  teeth.  With  one  bound  he  was  on  the 
table;  and  seizing  several  bits  of  meat,  some 
bread,  and  a  few  pieces  of  fruit,  he  fled  away. 
The  steward  was  completely  confounded. 

"Well?"  said  the  lady  as  she  entered. 

"I  have  seen  him!"  cried  the  steward;  "I  have 
seen  him!" 

"Who?"  she  asked. 

And  he  explained  all  that  had  passed. 

"You  must  follow  it,"  said  the  lady  of  the 
castle. 

"I  will  try,  madam." 

The  next  day,  at  the  same  hour,  the  steward 
took  his  place  near  the  table.  The  dog  came  in 
through  the  window  and  took  his  provision  as 
usual;  then,  seeing  they  were  watching  for  him, 
he  fled  away  rapidly.  The  steward  tried  to  fol- 
low him  in  vain;  the  little  animal  disappeared 
in  the  forest. 

"Leave  it  to  me,"  said  the  young  lord;  "I  will 
find  out  where  this  dog  goes." 

And  the  next  day  he  took  the  steward's  place. 
The  window  had  been  left  open  purposely.  At 
the  usual  hour  the  little  dog  appeared.  The  lord 
of  the  castle  did  not  interfere  with  him  ;  but  when 
he  saw  him  take  the  four  corners  of  Hélène's 
handkerchief  between  his  teeth,  he  darted  out 
and  ran  in  pursuit  of  the  thief. 

He  followed  the  dog  for  several  minutes;  but 


PIERRE  AND  HELENE  159 

soon  worn  out  by  the  useless  chase,  he  threw 
himself  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  breathless,  but  not 
discouraged. 

"To-morrow,"  said  he  resolutely,  "to-morrow 
I  will  find  out  where  this  dog  goes." 

So  the  next  day  he  had  his  horse  saddled,  and, 
taking  his  place  under  the  window,  he  waited. 
The  little  dog  appeared,  jumped  on  the  table, 
chose  among  the  dishes  that  were  served,  a  break- 
fast for  his  mistress;  but  when  he  started  as 
usual  to  return  to  his  retreat,  the  gallop  of  a 
horse  resounded  behind  him. 

The  dog  stopped  suddenly;  one  of  the  oak- 
trees  bent  down  just  then,  and  the  intelligent 
little  animal  took  his  place  near  his  mistress. 
The  young  lord  of  the  castle,  looking  up,  saw  a 
charming  young  girl  seated  among  the  branches 
at  the  top  of  the  tree.  He  was  struck  with  her 
beauty.  A  book  was  lying  on  her  lap,  and  the 
wind  turned  the  leaves  of  it  as  she  read;  for  oh, 
strange  !  the  poor  child  had  been  deprived  of  both 
her  arms. 

He  questioned  Hélène;  and  she  answered  his 
questions. 

The  lord  of  the  castle  heard  all  the  young  girl's 
history.  His  heart  was  moved  with  pity.  He 
came  to  see  her  often;  and  one  day  he  swore  he 
would  have  no  one  but  her  for  his  wife. 

One  day  a  carriage  stopped  at  the  foot  of  the 


i6o  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

oak-tree,  which  bent  down;  and  the  young  hus- 
band received  his  betrothed  in  his  arms. 

When  the  ceremony  was  over,  the  old  lady  of 
the  castle,  looking  at  the  young  wife,  said  to 
herself, — 

"So  this  is  my  son's  wife!"  and  an  expression 
of  hatred  came  over  her  face.  "Patience!"  she 
added,  in  a  low  voice,  "patience!  the  day  will 
come  when  she  shall  leave  my  house  forever." 

A  few  months  after,  the  young  husband  went 
away  to  the  war. 

One  morning  the  crabbed  old  lady  of  the  castle 
came  into  the  young  wife's  room.  Twin  babies 
had  just  been  born  to  her;  and  they  were  resting 
quietly  by  her  side  in  a  gilded  cradle. 

"Ah!"  she  muttered  with  disgust,  and  went 
out.  Her  hand  trembled  with  anger  as  she 
dipped  the  pen  into  the  ink  and  wrote  the  news 
to  her  son: — 

"Well,"  said  she,  "your  wife  has  brought  two 
very  ugly  little  children  into  the  world." 

The  springtime  came;  but  still  the  lord  of  the 
castle  had  sent  no  tidings  of  himself. 

"Your  husband  is  dead,"  said  Hélène's  wicked 
mother-in-law  to  her  one  day;  "I  do  not  wish 
you  to  be  any  longer  under  my  roof.  Go; 
neither  you  nor  your  brats  shall  disgrace  this 
castle  any  longer." 

"Alas,  madam!"  answered  Hélène,  "I  can  go 


PIERRE  AND  HELENE  161 

away  very  well;  but  who  will  carry  my  dear 
little  ones?" 

"You  yourself,"  said  the  horrible  woman. 
"Do  you  suppose  I  would  put  my  servants  at 
your  service?  They  would  refuse  to  go  with  a 
beggar  like  you," 

"Alas!"  replied  Hélène,  "I  have  no  arms,  as 
other  mothers  have,  to  carry  my  poor  children." 

"We  will  manage  it,"  said  the  hard-hearted 
mother-in-law. 

And  the  next  day  Hélène  left  the  castle,  carry- 
ing the  two  innocent  little  ones  in  a  cloth  which 
was  tied  round  her  waist. 

She  wandered  a  long  time  in  the  forest,  fol- 
lowed by  her  little  dog;  and  when  evening  came 
on,  weariness  overcame  her,  and  she  was  very 
thirsty.  A  fountain  flowed  a  few  steps  from  her. 
Hélène  sighed. 

"Alas!"  she  thought,  "if  I  only  had  one  arm, 
I  could  catch  some  water  in  the  palm  of  my  hand 
and  quench  my  thirst." 

And  as  she  uttered  the  words,  a  little  bird, 
perched  on  the  edge  of  the  fountain,  began  to 
twitter.     He  said,  in  his  language, — 

"Do  not  cry,  poor  Hélène." 

Hélène,  astonished,  stopped  to  listen  to  it;  but 
the  little  bird  continued  to  sing.  Hélène  ap- 
proached the  fountain,  and  leaned  over  the  water; 
she  tried  to  drink, 


i62  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

But  before  her  lips  could  reach  the  water,  one 
of  her  nurslings  fell  into  the  fountain.  Poor 
Hélène!  who  would  give  her  little  baby  back  to 
her? 

But  the  bird  went  on  singing;  and  in  its  lan- 
guage it  said, — 

"Dip  what  there  is  left  of  your  right  arm  into 
the  fountain,  and  fear  nothing  for  your  child." 

Hélène  obeyed  the  little  bird,  and  dipped  what 
remained  of  her  arm;  and  at  once  a  strong  and 
active  arm  and  a  supple  hand  grew  out  in  place 
of  the  right  arm  and  hand  that  she  had  lost. 

Hélène  picked  up  her  child  with  delight;  but 
at  the  same  moment  the  other  dropped  from  the 
cloth  that  held  it,  and  fell  into  the  water,  as  his 
brother  had  done.  But  the  little  bird  kept  on 
singing;  and  in  its  joyous  language  it  said, — 

"Dip  what  remains  to  you  of  your  left  arm 
into  the  fountain,  and  fear  nothing  for  your 
child." 

Hélène  dipped  what  there  was  left  of  her  other 
arm,  and  immediately  she  had  a  new  left  arm. 

Hélène  picked  up  her  other  child. 

A  cabin  under  the  shade  of  an  oak-tree  shel- 
tered Hélène  and  her  children.  One  day  the 
two  children  were  playing  on  the  threshold.  A 
stranger  passed  by.  He  stopped  before  the  two 
children. 

"I,  too,"  cried  he  bitterly,  "I  would  one  day 


PIERRE  AND  HELENE  163 

have  been  surrounded  by  fair  young  ones;  but 
Hélène  has  fled  from  my  home."  When  sud- 
denly Hélène  appeared  at  the  cabin  door. 

"It  is  she!"  cried  the  stranger. 

But  he  drew  back  as  if  struck  by  lightning. 
This  woman  had  two  arms,  and  her  fingers 
fondled  her  children's  hair.  His  Hélène  had 
both  arms  cut  off. 

Meanwhile,  she  had  also  recognized  the  stran- 
ger, and  sprang  towards  him. 

A  few  hours  after,  a  magnificent  carriage 
stopped  at  Pierre's  farm.  Hélène  descended 
quickly  from  her  carriage,  and  went  into  the 
house.  Poor  Pierre  was  still  seated  beside  the 
fire.  He  suffered  terribly,  and  his  wicked  wife 
never  consoled  him.  When  she  heard  the  car- 
riage stop,  and  saw  her  sister-in-law  get  out  of 
it,  she  suddenly  disappeared. 

"Where  is  your  wife?"  asked  Hélène  of  her 
brother. 

"I  do  not  know,"  answered  Pierre.  "Heaven 
has  punished  me  for  my  crime,  for  I  have  not 
had  a  day  of  happiness  since  I  left  you  in  the 
forest;  and  my  wife,  who  caused  me  to  do  such 
a  deed,  leaves  me  to  my  misery." 

At  this  moment  they  heard  the  voice  of  the 
wicked  woman.  "Hélène,"  said  she,  coming  for- 
ward, and  speaking  in  a  sweet  voice,  "I  hope  you 
have  pardoned  me  ;  Heaven  has  punished  us,  and 


164  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

we  are,  as  you  see,  very  unhappy.     But  come," 
she  added,  leading  the  way  to  the  upper  story. 

"I  cannot,"  said  Hélène;  "I  must  cure  my 
brother  first." 

"Come  up,  so  that  I  may  show  you  what 
Heaven  has  left  me  to  console  me  in  my  mis- 
fortune." 

Hélène,  thinking  her  sister-in-law  wished  to 
show  her  a  new  baby,  started  towards  the  wind- 
ing stairway. 

"Go  first,"  said  Pierre's  wife,  with  hypocritical 
respect. 

"No,"  said  Hélène;  "I  do  not  wish  to  go  in 
front  of  you.  I  am  always  poor  Hélène,  Pierre's 
sister." 

The  sister-in-law  then  went  up  first,  and  sud- 
denly a  loud  noise  was  heard;  two  steps  of  the 
stairway  fell  in  with  a  great  crash,  and  the  wicked 
woman  fell  into  a  pot  of  boiling  water  that  she 
had  prepared  for  Hélène.  She  thought  she  had 
counted  the  steps,  and  was  sure  of  the  success  of 
her  treachery;  but  hatred  bewildered  her,  and 
made  her  the  victim  of  her  own  perfidy.  Hélène 
turned  away  her  head  in  horror  and  descended 
the  stair. 

"My  brother,"  said  she  to  Pierre,  "Heaven  has 
punished  the  crime;  your  wife  is  dead;  she  fell 
into  the  snare  she  set  for  me.  But  you  see  I 
have  come  to  fufill  my  promise.     Show  me  your 


PIERRE  AND  HELENE  165 

foot,  and  I  will  take  out  the  thorn  which  has 
caused  you  so  much  suffering." 

"Alas,  my  sister!  this  thorn  is  a  great  tree 
whose  branches  already  cover  the  roof  of  my 
dwelling,"  said  Pierre. 

But  as  he  spoke,  Hélène  touched  her  brother's 
foot,  and  in  a  moment  the  tree  disappeared  up  the 
chimney,  and  fell  with  a  crash  on  the  other  side 
of  the  house. 

Marguerite  de  Belz,  "La  Clef  des  Champs." 


THE  THREE  EGGS 

A   CREOLE    STORY 

NCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  negro  and 
his  wife  who  lived  in  a  village  on  the 
shore  of  the  Oyapok.  They  had  a  little 
girl  who  was  much  the  prettiest  child  that  ever 
was  seen.  Obedient,  intelligent,  loving  her  par- 
ents with  all  her  soul,  she  was  the  joy  and  pride 
of  her  father  and  mother.  The  whole  family 
lived  on  the  produce  of  the  little  field  of  tapioca 
and  potatoes  which  surrounded  their  hut. 

When  winter  came,  the  torrents  of  rain  caused 
the  river  to  overflow,  and  when  the  waters  re- 
tired, all  the  plain,  for  a  great  distance,  was  only 
a  mass  of  gravel  and  stones.  Poverty  desolated 
the  country.  In  the  negro's  hut  there  was  soon 
scarcely  a  morsel  of  cassava  ;  the  provision  of  po- 
tatoes diminished  day  by  day.  After  having 
talked  many  times  in  a  low  voice  over  their  sad 
condition,  after  having  wept  over  it,  the  poor 
people  resolved  to  go  and  leave  their  precious 
child  to  be  lost  in  the  forest. 

One  morning  they  started  out.  As  they  went 
along,  the  mother  and  her  good  man  walked 

166 


THE  THREE  EGGS  167 

slowly,  with  great  tears  in  their  eyes;  the  little 
girl  went  in  front  gathering  berries  that  she 
found  in  the  bushes.  Suddenly,  not  hearing  her 
parents  talking  any  longer,  the  child  called, — 

"Mamma!  mamma!" 

No  reply.  Alas,  poor  little  one!  you  are  lost 
in  this  thick  forest!  The  more  she  tried  to  find 
her  way,  the  more  she  went  astray. 

Night  came;  the  foliage  was  so  thick  that  she 
could  not  even  see  the  moon  or  the  stars  to  guide 
her.  The  ferocious  beasts  howled  terribly.  The 
child  continued  to  walk  on  and  on  ;  her  little  feet 
were  bleeding,  her  teeth  chattered  with  fright, 
she  was  faint  from  hunger  and  fatigue.  Soon, 
however,  the  trees  became  more  scattered  ;  a  light 
shone  in  the  distance.  The  child  went  in  the 
direction  of  the  light.  At  last  she  saw  a  cabin. 
She  knocked  at  the  door.  "In  the  name  of  the 
good  Virgin,  open  to  me,"  she  cried. 

The  door  opened,  creaking.  An  old  witch,  all 
wrinkled,  appeared  on  the  threshold.  "What  do 
you  want,  my  child?"  said  she,  in  a  coarse  voice. 

"I  am  a  poor  little  girl  who  has  lost  her  par- 
ents in  the  great  forest  below  there  ;  I  am  afraid 
of  being  eaten  up  by  the  ferocious  beasts  ;  let  me 
rest  to-night  in  your  house." 

The  coarse  voice  answered, — 

"Here,  little  one,  raise  your  ej^es.  Do  you  see 
over  the  door  those  three  large  pumpkins?     In 


i68  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

order  to  be  able  to  enter  my  house,  you  must  catch 
them  one  by  one  on  your  head." 

"Ah,  good  mamma!  if  they  fall  on  my  head, 
surely  they  will  crush  me!  I  am  so  little,  they 
are  so  big!" 

"Then,  my  child,  I  will  catch  them  for  you." 
Then  the  old  witch  began  to  sing  in  a  melancholy 
tone, — 

"Fall,  fall,  big  pumpkins  ! 
So  she  can  come  into  my  house." 

Then  she  leaned  her  poor  old  head  forward 
and  caught  the  three  big  pumpkins  on  it,  one 
after  the  other.  Each  time,  her  body  bent  and 
her  knees  gave  way. 

As  soon  as  the  child  came  in,  she  asked  for 
something  to  eat. 

"Open  this  cupboard,  little  one;  you  will  find 
two  plates.  In  one  there  is  some  good  meat  and 
some  good  fish  ;  in  the  other  there  are  only  bones 
and  fish-bones.  Put  them  in  the  fire,  and  when 
they  are  cooked,  you  can  give  me  whichever  one 
you  choose." 

The  little  one  lighted  the  fire,  warmed  the  two 
plates,  and  gave  the  old  witch  the  plate  of  meat 
and  fish;  she  kept  for  herself  the  plate  of  bones 
and  fish-bones. 

When  the  dinner  was  over,  the  old  witch  put 
the  child  to  bed. 

"To-morrow,"  said  she,  "when  you  are  well 
rested,  we  will  go  and  bathe  in  the  river." 


THE  THREE  EGGS  169 

Before  going  to  sleep,  the  child  kneeled  down 
to  pray,  and  thanked  the  little  Jesus  for  having 
rescued  her  from  the  dark  night  and  the  wicked 
beasts. 

As  soon  as  it  was  day,  the  old  witch  and  the 
child  went  to  the  river.  When  they  had  taken 
their  bath,  the  old  witch  said  to  the  child, — 

"Little  one,  rub  me  all  over  my  body  to  make 
me  clean. 

The  child  then  looked  at  the  witch's  back;  it 
was  covered  with  razors,  knives,  pointed  nails, 
pieces  of  broken  glass.  However,  she  did  not 
hesitate  to  rub  the  witch's  back  and  her  old  limbs 
as  well  as  she  could.  Soon  her  hands  were  all 
bloody.     When  the  witch  saw  that,  she  cried, — 

"You  are  a  good  little  girl;  you  have  taken 
pity  on  a  poor  old  woman;  give  me  your  hands." 

The  child  held  them  to  her;  then  she  spat  in 
her  hands  and  said  to  her, — 

"Now  rub  yourself." 

Immediately  the  wounds  disappeared. 

"Now,  my  child,  you  must  set  out  to  go  back 
to  your  parents.  Here  are  three  eggs.  When 
you  encounter  any  obstacle  along  the  way,  you 
have  only  to  break  an  egg,  and  the  obstacle  will 
disappear.  I  only  charge  you  one  thing:  do  not 
stop  a  moment,  and  if  by  chance,  young  people 
meet  you,  and  pay  you  compliments,  do  not  lis- 
ten to  them,  and  continue  your  journey  without 
paying  any  attention  to  their  fine  speeches." 


i7o  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

Then  the  little  one  embraced  the  old  witch, 
thanked  her  for  her  goodness,  and  departed. 
After  having  traveled  a  long  time,  she  came  to  a 
large  river.  It  was  impossible  to  find  a  ford 
where  she  could  cross  it.  Then  she  broke  her 
first  egg.  A  boat  appeared  upon  the  river.  She 
began  to  sing, — 

"Put  me  across,  O  boatman  ! 
Put  me  across,  O  boatman  !" 

The  boatman  drew  near,  made  her  get  into 
the  boat,  and  put  her  across  to  the  other  side  of 
the  river. 

"Thanks,  good  boatman,  for  your  kindness." 

"Good  luck  to  you,  miss." 

She  went  on  her  way.  She  traveled  and  trav- 
eled, and  found  herself  at  last  stopped  by  a  great 
bare  mountain. 

"Mountain,  open!"  cried  she,  breaking  her  sec- 
ond egg. 

The  mountain  opened;  a  beautiful  road  ran 
through  it.  Flowering  shrubs  bordered  the 
road;  in  the  green  trees,  loaded  with  fruit,  birds 
of  a  thousand  colors  were  singing.  Suddenly 
joyous  voices  were  heard;  a  party  of  young 
people  drew  near,  dancing  and  laughing. 

"Oh!  what  a  beautiful  little  girl  that  is  going 
along  the  road  !  see  her  beautiful  hair,"  said  one. 
"Oh!    what    pretty    little    feet!"    said    another. 


THE  THREE  EGGS  171 

"Come  play  with  us,  young  lady;  we  will  take 
you  to  our  house;  you  shall  be  the  absolute  mis- 
tress of  it,  you  shall  do  nothing  all  day  long;  we 
will  work  for  you.  You  will  only  have  to  look 
at  yourself  in  your  mirror,  comb  your  hair,  and 
make  yourself  beautiful." 

But  the  little  girl,  remembering  the  counsels 
of  the  old  witch,  did  not  even  turn  her  head. 

"Leave  me  alone,"  said  she;  "I  have  promised 
not  to  stop  till  I  have  found  my  parents  again." 

Then  she  continued  her  journey  and  came  to 
a  plain.  The  mountain  closed  up  behind  her, 
and  became,  as  before,  barren  and  desolate. 
After  having  traveled  a  long  time,  the  little  girl 
came  at  last  to  a  village.  The  people  were  in  a 
great  commotion;  the  queen  had  just  died.  As 
soon  as  the  inhabitants  saw  the  stranger,  they 
surrounded  her,  and  charmed  with  her  beauty 
and  grace,  they  proposed  to  her  to  choose  her 
to  replace  the  queen  whom  they  had  just  lost. 
To  all  their  entreaties  she  replied, — 

"I  can  agree  to  reign  over  you  only  on  one 
condition;  that  is,  that  you  shall  take  my  father 
and  mother  for  your  sovereigns  as  soon  as  I  have 
found  them.  It  is  not  right  for  the  child  to  be 
above  its  parents." 

The  people  having  accepted  the  condition,  the 
child  broke  her  third  egg. 

The  egg  was  scarcely  broken  before  the  old 


i72  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

negro  and  his  wife  were  seen  to  arrive  at  the  end 
of  the  village,  all  covered  with  tatters,  thin, 
emaciated,  and  bent  with  grief  and  poverty. 
Seeing  their  daughter,  whom  they  believed  lost 
forever,  they  shed  abundant  tears,  and  were 
about  to  throw  themselves  at  her  feet  to  ask  her 
pardon  for  having  abandoned  her.  But  she  did 
not  give  them  time  for  this,  and  throwing  her 
arms  around  their  necks,  she  embraced  them  ten- 
derly. They  were  proclaimed  sovereigns  of  the 
country  and  lived  happily  with  their  daughter 
ever  after.  They  were  good  and  charitable  to 
the  poor  people,  for  they  had  been  poor  them- 
selves. 

The  news  of  this  adventure  was  quickly  spread 
around.  It  reached  the  little  village  where  the 
good  little  girl  formerly  lived.  All  their  neigh- 
bors were  delighted  ;  only  one  negro  and  his  wife 
became  extremely  jealous  of  them.  These 
people  had  a  wicked,  cross-grained  daughter,  the 
very  image  of  her  mother. 

"My  daughter,  I  want  you  to  be  queen  also; 
I  will  go  and  lose  you  in  the  forest.  You  are 
worth  much  more  than  that  affected  little  thing; 
and  when  you  are  queen,  you  can  send  for  me 
and  your  father  also,  so  that  we  can  pass  the  rest 
of  our  days  in  sleeping  and  doing  nothing." 

Then  they  went  into  the  forest  and  left  their 
daughter  there.     Night  came,  and  the  ferocious 


THE  THREE  EGGS  173 

beasts  began  to  howl  !  Ah  !  -truly,  the  child  was 
much  frightened,  but,  taking  courage  in  the  face 
of  danger,  she  tried  to  get  out  of  the  forest. 
Then  she  saw  the  light  in  the  old  witch's  cabin. 
She  went  in  that  direction  and  came  to  the  door, 

"Open  to  me,"  said  she,  thumping  on  it  with 
all  her  might  with  her  feet  and  her  fists;  "I  do 
not  want  to  spend  the  night  out  of  doors." 

The  coarse  voice  answered, — 

"Do  you  see  those  three  enormous  pumpkins? 
In  order  to  enter  my  house,  you  must  catch  them 
on  your  head." 

"Very  well,  catch  them  yourself,  so  I  can  come 
in." 

The  witch,  without  saying  anything,  sang  her 
song,  and  caught  the  pumpkins  on  her  poor  old 
head. 

As  soon  as  she  had  come  in,  the  little  girl 
called  out, — 

"I  am  hungry;  give  me  something  to  eat." 

Then  the  old  witch  put  two  dishes  on  the  fire  ; 
one  of  good  meat  and  good  fish,  the  other  con- 
taining only  bones  and  fish-bones.  The  child, 
without  thanking  her,  took  all  that  was  good, 
and  paid  no  attention  as  to  what  was  left  for  the 
old  woman. 

When  the  morning  came,  they  went  to  the 
river,  and  when  she  saw  the  witch's  back,  she 
said,— 


174  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"What,  do  you  think  I  am  going  to  rub  your 
old  back  ?  It  is  all  full  of  broken  glass  and  pieces 
of  broken  bottles." 

The  witch  dressed  herself  again,  and  when  the 
time  came  to  go  away,  she  gave  the  child  three 
eggs. 

"My  child,  take  my  advice;  do  not  stop  on  the 
way  until  you  have  found  your  parents  ;  else  some 
harm  will  happen.  When  you  see  any  obstacle, 
or  when  you  want  anything,  break  one  of  the 
eggs,  and  you  will  be  quite  satisfied." 

Without  even  thanking  the  old  witch,  who  had 
been  so  good,  the  child  went  on  her  way. 

Having  reached  the  river,  the  breaking  of  the 
first  egg  brought  the  boatman  to  her,  and  he  put 
her  across  to  the  other  shore.  Then  after  that 
the  mountain  stopped  her  way;  so  she  broke  her 
second  egg,  and  the  mountain  opened.  A  beau- 
tiful road  bordered  with  flowers  showed  itself  to 
her.  She  followed  it.  Then  the  young  people 
approached. 

"Beautiful  child,  will  you  come  and  play  with 
us  ?  You  will  find  in  our  house  mirrors  in  which 
you  can  see  your  whole  figure.  We  will  be  your 
slaves;  one  who  is  as  pretty  as  you  are  should 
not  work,  but  live  to  do  nothing  and  think  of 
nothing  but  being  amused." 

Blushing  with  pleasure  and  vanity,  the  child 
sprang  towards  the  young  people;  but  she  had 


THE  THREE  EGGS  175 

scarcely  crossed  the  road  bordered  with  flowers 
when  the  mountain  closed  up  with  a  great  noise 
and  swallowed  her  up. 

She  was  pitied  by  only  one  person, — the  good 
little  girl.  Young  ladies,  let  this  story  be  a  les- 
son to  you. 

Loys  Brueyre. 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS 

OR 

The  Cat,  The  Cock,  And  The  Ladder 
a  breton  story 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  were  three 
brothers:  the  oldest  was  named  Yvon; 
the  second  Goulven;  and  the  youngest, 
Guyon.  Their  mother  was  dead,  and  they  asked 
their  father  to  give  each  of  them  the  portion  that 
would  fall  to  him,  so  that  they  might  go  out  into 
the  world  to  seek  their  fortunes. 

"I  am  very  willing,"  said  the  old  man,  "but 
you  know  that  we  are  not  rich  ;  a  cat,  a  cock,  and 
a  ladder — these  are  all  I  have  to  give  you." 

"Very  well;  let  us  draw  straws,"  replied  the 
three  brothers,  "and  see  what  will  fall  to  the  lot 
of  each  of  us." 

They  drew  straws,  and  the  cat  fell  to  Yvon, 
the  cock  to  Goulven,  and  the  ladder  to  Guyon. 
Each  took  his  property  and  began  to  get  read}r 
to  set  out.  Their  father  accompanied  them  to  a 
place  near  by,  where  four  roads  crossed  and  led 

in  different  directions,  and  then  they  bade  fare- 

176 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  177 

well  to  each  other,  and  took  each  a  different  road, 
after  having  appointed  a  meeting  at  the  same 
place  at  the  end  of  a  year  and  a  day.  The  old 
man  returned  alone  to  his  house,  by  the  fourth 
road. 

Y  von,  to  whom  the  cat  had  fallen,  was  led  by 
his  road  to  the  seashore.  He  followed  the  beach 
for  a  long  time  without  coming  to  any  dwelling. 
He  and  his  companion  were  obliged  to  live  for 
several  days  on  shell-fish,  and  principally  on  mus- 
sels and  lumpets,  which  cats  love  above  all  things. 
They  came  at  last  to  a  mill,  not  far  from  which 
rose  the  walls  and  towers  of  a  castle  high  upon 
the  cliff.  Yvon  entered  the  mill,  carrying  the 
cat  on  his  left  arm.  He  saw  there  four  men,  in 
their  shirt-sleeves,  armed  with  sticks  and  earn- 
estly engaged  in  chasing  the  mice  which  ran 
about  in  every  direction,  so  as  to  hinder  them 
from  cutting  holes  in  the  sacks  and  eating  the 
flour. 

"How  much  trouble  you  take  for  a  small  mat- 
ter!" said  he  to  them. 

"How  is  it  a  small  matter?  Do  you  not  see 
that  if  we  should  let  them,  these  vile  beasts  would 
eat  both  the  wheat  and  the  flour  and  would  re- 
duce us  to  die  of  hunger?" 

"Ah,  well!  here  is  a  little  animal"  (and  he 
showed  them  his  cat)  "that,  all  by  himself,  in 
less  than  an  hour,  will  do  more  work  than  vou 


178  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

four  in  a  whole  year;  he  will  very  soon  get  rid 
of  all  your  mice." 

"This  little  animal?  You  are  joking,  doubt- 
less; he  does  not  seem  at  all  dangerous.  What 
do  you  call  him?"  (In  that  country  they  had 
never  seen  a  cat.) 

"He  is  called  Mr.  Cat.  Do  you  wish  to  see 
him  work?" 

"Yes  ;  let  us  see  something  of  what  he  can  do." 

Yvon  let  go  his  cat,  which  was  very  hungry. 
The  mice,  which  were  not  afraid  of  it,  never  hav- 
ing seen  a  cat,  made  no  haste  to  run  into  their 
holes,  and  it  made  a  frightful  slaughter  of  them. 
The  four  men  watched  it  work,  in  great  aston- 
ishment, and  in  less  than  an  hour  the  whole 
threshing-floor  of  the  mill  was  strewn  with  dead 
mice.  There  were  heaps  of  them  in  every  direc- 
tion. The  men  with  the  sticks  and  the  miller 
could  not  recover  from  their  astonishment.  One 
of  them  ran  to  the  castle,  and  said  to  the  lord, — 

"Make  haste,  my  lord,  and  come  to  the  mill; 
you  will  see  there  what  you  have  never  seen  be- 
fore in  your  life." 

"What  is  it?"  asked  the  lord. 

"A  man  has  arrived  from  some  country,  we 
know  not  where,  bringing  with  him  a  little  animal 
that  appears  to  be  very  mild  and  gentle,  yet  which 
in  the  wink  of  an  eye  has  killed  all  the  mice 
against  which  we  have  had  so  much  trouble  to 
defend  your  wheat  and  your  flour." 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  179 

"I  trust  this  may  be  true!"  cried  the  lord. 

He  hastened  to  the  mill,  and  seeing  the  great 
work  of  the  cat,  he  stood  still,  filled  with  admira- 
tion, his  eyes  and  his  mouth  wide  open.  Then, 
seeing  on  Yvon's  arm  the  author  of  all  this  car- 
nage, which,  well  fed  and  happy,  and  its  eyes  half 
closed,  was  making  a  continuous  sound  like  that 
of  a  wheel  turned  by  the  hand  of  a  spinner,  he 
asked, — 

"And  is  it  this  animal,  that  looks  so  gentle 
and  sweet,  which  has  worked  so  bravely?" 

"Yes,  my  lord,  it  is  indeed,"  replied  the  four 
men  armed  with  sticks. 

"What  a  treasure  such  an  animal  must  be! 
Ah!  if  I  could  only  have  it!  Will  you  sell  it  to 
me?"  asked  he  of  Y  von. 

"Willingly,"  replied  Yvon,  passing  his  hand 
down  the  back  of  his  cat. 

"How  much  will  you  take  for  it?" 

"Six  hundred  crowns,  with  lodging  for  myself 
and  good  board  in  your  castle;  for  my  friend, 
the  cat,  will  not  work  well  if  I  do  not  stay  with 
him." 

"Agreed!  shake  hands." 

And  they  shook  hands. 

Yvon  was  accordingly  installed  in  the  castle, 
having  nothing  to  do  every  day  but  eat,  drink,  go 
walking,  and  from  time  to  time  to  make  a  visit 
to  his  friend,  the  cat,  at  the  mill.     He  had  become 


180  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

the  friend  of  the  lord,  and  also  of  his  daughter; 
for  he  was  a  very  handsome  young  man.  His 
acquaintance  with  the  young  girl  became  very 
intimate;  and  he  got  from  her  all  the  gold  and 
diamonds'  that  he  wanted.  But  the  time  came 
when  he  thought  it  was  most  prudent  for  him  to 
go  away;  so  he  disappeared  one  night  without 
saying  anything,  taking  with  him  the  best  horse 
in  the  castle  stable  to  carry  him,  and  all  that  he 
took  away  from  the  old  lord. 

Now  we  will  follow  him  no  farther,  since  his 
fortune  is  made,  but  see  what  has  become  of 
Goulven  and  his  cock. 

After  having  walked  a  long  time,  and  getting 
farther  and  farther  from  home,  Goulven  at  last 
reached  a  country  where  there  were  no  cocks. 
One  evening,  about  sunset,  overcome  with  fa- 
tigue, he  came  to  a  beautiful  castle,  and  knocked 
at  the  door. 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  the  porter. 

"Lodging  for  the  night,  if  you  please,  for  my 
little  comrade  and  myself." 

"Come  in,"  said  the  porter  to  him;  "you  may 
lodge  here,  for  my  master  is  charitable." 

He  ate  in  the  kitchen  with  the  servants,  then 
went  to  sleep  in  the  stable  with  the  stable-boys 
and  wagoners,  taking  his  cock  with  him. 

In  that  country  they  were  obliged  to  go  each 
morning  to  look  for  the  day.     So  in  the  barn 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  181 

where  he  was  with  his  cock,  Goulven  heard  the 
conversation  of  the  stable-boys  and  wagoners. 
They  were  saying  to  each  other, — 

"To-morrow  morning  we  shall  have  trouble 
again  when  we  go  to  look  for  the  day.  Let  us 
grease  the  axle-tree  well,  so  that  the  wagon  will 
run  more  easily,  and  not  break  down,  as  it  did 
the  other  day;  for  see  how  many  wagons  are  al- 
ready broken,  and  many  horses  worked  to  death, 
and  the  master  is  displeased,  and  says  that  we 
shall  ruin  him." 

"Yes,  grease  the  axle-tree  well  before  we  go 
to  bed." 

Goulven  listened,  astonished  at  what  he  heard  ; 
and,  as  the  lord  and  the  servants  had  told  him 
that  they  had  never  seen  a  bird  like  his  cock,  the 
idea  struck  him  that  he  might  make  something 
out  of  it;  so  that  he  cried  to  the  stable-boys  and 
the  wagoners,— 

"Do  not  be  so  troubled  and  anxious,  my 
friends.     I  will  undertake  your  task." 

"You  will  undertake  to  go  yourself,  all  alone, 
to  look  for  the  day  to-morrow  morning?" 

"Yes;  I  and  my  companion." 

"But,  unhappy  man,  if  you  do  not  bring  it, 
or  if  you  are  late  returning,  the  master  will  have 
you  hanged  on  the  spot." 

"Let  us  alone,  I  tell  you,  and  go  to  sleep 
quietly." 


i82  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

Accordingly,  the  stable-boys  and  wagoners 
went  to  sleep  without  greasing  the  wagon  or 
making  any  of  the  usual  preparations. 

The  cock  crowed  out  from  the  loft  about  three 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 

"What  is  that?"  cried  the  wagoners  and  stable- 
boys,  awakened  by  this  song  that  they  had  never 
heard  before. 

"It  is  nothing,"  replied  Goulven;  "do  not  dis- 
turb yourselves.  My  comrade  only  announces 
that  he  is  about  to  go  in  search  of  the  day."  So 
they  went  to  sleep  again. 

About  four  o'clock  the  cock  crowed  again,  and 
they  woke  up  as  before,  and  cried,— 

"What  is  it?  what  is  it?" 

"It  is  my  comrade,  telling  you  that  he  is  com- 
ing with  the  day,"  replied  Goulven;  "get  up  and 
see." 

So  they  got  up,  and  saw  with  astonishment 
that,  sure  enough,  the  da}^  had  come  without  their 
having  been  to  look  for  it  with  so  much  trouble. 
They  hastened  to  go  and  tell  their  master. 

"Master,  if  you  only  knew — " 

"What  is  it?  What  has  happened  that  you 
should  come  to  wake  me  so  early?" 

"You  know  the  stranger  whom  you  lodged  last 
night,  with  his  little  animal  that  he  called  a 
cock?" 

"Well,  what  has  he  done?" 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  183 

"What  has  he  done?  Why,  this  little  animal, 
that  does  not  look  as  if  he  were  anything  in  par- 
ticular, is  stronger  than  all  your  horses  together, 
and  will  be  able  to  spare  you  much  expense,  and 
us  much  trouble.  Would  you  believe  it?  he  has 
brought  us  the  day  this  morning  all  by  himself, 
without  horses  or  wagons,  while  we  slept  quietly. 

"It  is  impossible;  you  are  mocking  me!" 

"Nothing  is  truer,  however  ;  and  you  have  only 
to  assure  yourself  of  it  by  keeping  the  man  and 
his  little  animal  at  the  castle  and  watching  with 
us  to-night." 

"Very  well;  tell  him  to  remain,  so  that  I  can 
see  this  thing." 

So  they  told  the  man  with  the  cock  to  remain 
with  his  animal. 

When  evening  came,  after  supper,  the  ser- 
vants, the  stable-boys,  and  the  wagoners  went  to 
sleep  as  usual,  and  Goulven  climbed  again  to  the 
loft,  with  his  cock,  after  having  told  them  that 
they  need  not  disturb  themselves  at  all,  and  that 
he  would  undertake  to  bring  the  day  back  again 
at  the  appointed  hour. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  lord, 
who  had  not  gone  to  bed,  came  also  to  the  stable 
to  see  and  hear  for  himself  what  took  place.  The 
cock  crowed  the  first  time  on  the  cock-loft. 

"What  is  that?"  asked  the  lord. 

"It  is  my  comrade,  just  setting  out  to  look  for 


184  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

the  day,"  replied  Goulven;  "do  not  be  disturbed. 
Wait  quietly;  he  will  not  be  slow  in  returning." 

At  four  o'clock  the  cock  crowed  again. 

"Why  has  the  cock  crowed?"  asked  the  lord. 

"Because  he  has  just  arrived,  bringing  the  day 
back  to  us,"  replied  Goulven.  "Open  the  door, 
and  go  out,  and  you  will  see." 

The  lord  went  out  of  the  stable,  and  saw  that 
day  had  really  dawned,  all  rosy  and  bright  (it  was 
the  month  of  May),  without  his  horses  and  his 
iron-bound  wagons  having  gone  to  look  for  it. 
He  was  filled  with  amazement,  and  could  not  un- 
derstand it.  He  called  Goulven,  and  said  to 
him, — 

"The  wagons  that  they  break  for  me,  the 
horses  they  cripple  for  me,  going  every  morning 
to  look  for  the  dawn,  are  ruinous  to  me;  if  you 
will  sell  me  your  little  animal,  you  will  do  me  a 
great  service;  how  much  do  you  ask  for  it?" 

"A  thousand  crowns,"  replied  Goulven,  "and 
to  remain  with  it  at  the  castle,  well  fed,  well 
clothed,  and  having  nothing  to  do  but  to  go  walk- 
ing for  my  pleasure  where  I  will." 

"Agreed,"  said  the  lord. 

So  Goulven  lived  at  the  castle,  the  happiest  of 
men,  having  nothing  to  do  every  day  but  eat, 
drink,  sleep,  and  go  out  walking.  The  cock,  for 
his  part,  never  failed  to  bring  the  day  back  at  the 
proper  hour,  and  all  were  very  well  satisfied  with 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  185 

their  services.  Goulven  also  made  love  to  the 
lord's  daughter,  who  had  noticed  him  because  he 
was  a  handsome  fellow,  and  having  behaved  just 
as  Yvon  had  done  under  the  same  circumstances, 
he  ran  away  also,  when  he  thought  the  moment 
had  come,  taking  with  him  not  only  the  thousand 
crowns  that  he  had  gotten  for  the  cock,  but  hand- 
some presents  which  he  had  received  from  the 
young  lady,  and  which  he  bore  off  on  the  best 
horse  in  the  lord's  stable. 

Of  the  three  brothers,  we  have  already  seen 
two  entirely  successful  ;  one  with  his  cat,  the  other 
with  his  cock.  Now  let  us  see  what  became  of 
the  third,  Guyon,  the  man  with  the  ladder. 

After  having  walked  a  long  time,  going  always 
straight  before  him,  and  carrying  his  ladder  on 
his  shoulder,  and  having  gone  a  great  distance 
from  his  own  country,  he  found  himself  one  day 
in  front  of  a  grand  castle,  surrounded  on  all  sides 
by  high  walls,  and  brambles  and  thorns.  At  the 
window  of  one  of  the  towers  he  saw  a  young 
lady  of  remarkable  beauty.  He  stopped  to  look 
at  her;  she  smiled,  and  they  soon  began  to  talk 
together.  The  lady  told  him  that  her  husband, 
the  lord  of  the  castle,  was  absent.  He  was  a 
jealous  wretch,  who  kept  her  a  captive  in  this 
tower  with  only  a  servant  for  company,  and  al- 
lowed her  to  receive  no  one  else.  She  had  grown 
very  weary  of  her  tower  and  wished  very  much 


i86  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

to  go  out  of  it  ;  but  her  lord  had  taken  away  the 
keys,  and  until  his  return  she  was  obliged  to  stay 
locked  up.  He  was  expected  to  return  the  next 
day. 

"I  can  come  to  you  without  a  key,  if  you  will 
permit  it,"  said  Guy  on. 

"How  can  you,  unless  you  change  yourself  to 
a  bird?  Into  this  castle,  no  man  but  my  husband 
ever  enters,  and  if  any  other  should  succeed  in 
getting  in,  he  would  never  go  out  alive." 

"We  will  see  about  that,"  said  Guyon. 

Then  he  leaned  his  ladder  against  the  wall. 
Alas!  it  was  too  short.  But  the  lady  and  her 
servant  held  the  curtains  out  to  him,  and  at  last 
he  reached  them,  to  their  great  joy.  The  next 
morning,  early,  he  departed  by  the  same  way  by 
which  he  had  come.  As  he  had  greatly  amused 
the  young  lady  and  her  servant,  to  whom  such 
good  fortune  had  never  happened,  they  filled  his 
pockets  before  he  left  with  gold,  jewels,  and  dia- 
monds. 

As  Guyon  was  going  quietly  along,  carrying 
his  ladder  on  his  shoulder,  he  met  the  lord  return- 
ing, who  said  to  him  as  he  passed, — - 

"You  appear  much  burdened  and  very  much 
fatigued,  my  good  man." 

"A  little,"  replied  he;  and  each  went  on  his 
way. 

As  soon  as  the  lord  had  entered  his  castle,  his 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  187 

wife,  who  knew  nothing,  and  who  had  never  seen 
any  other  man  but  her  husband  near  enough  to 
speak,  made  haste  to  tell  him  everything.  To 
her  great  astonishment,  her  lord  was  furious. 

"How  could  he  get  into  the  tower?" 

"With  an  instrument  that  he  called  a  ladder. 
And  he  amused  us  very  much  ;  and  before  he  left, 
to  reward  him,  we  filled  his  pockets  with  gold, 
jewels,  and  diamonds." 

"Ah!  miserable  woman,  what  do  you  say? 
You  have  given  my  gold  and  my  jewels  and  dia- 
monds to  this  creature?" 

And  he  was  furious,  and  stamped  his  feet  and 
pulled  out  his  hair. 

"I  shall  run  after  him,  and  if  I  catch  him! — " 

"Do  him  no  harm,  I  beg  you,"  said  the  wife, 
who  could  not  understand  her  husband's  anger. 

The  latter  took  the  best  horse  from  his  stable 
and  was  soon  off  at  great  speed  in  pursuit  of 
Gu}ron.  But  Guyon,  who  thought  he  would  be 
followed,  looked  behind  him,  from  time  to  time; 
and  as  he  saw  him  just  as  he  came  near  a  house 
covered  with  slate  which  was  by  the  roadside, 
he  placed  his  ladder  against  the  wall,  mounted  to 
the  roof,  and  began  to  throw  down  the  slate  tiles, 
as  a  tiler  does  when  repairing  an  old  roof.  When 
the  lord  arrived  in  front  of  the  house,  he  stopped 
his  horse,  and  addressing  Guyon,  said, — 

"How  now,  tiler,  have  you  seen  a  man  go  by 
who  carried  a  ladder  on  his  shoulder?" 


i88  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Yes,  indeed!  my  lord;  he  passed  by  only  a 
moment  ago." 

"Which  way  did  he  go?" 

"He  kept  on  straight  along  there;  hold  on, 
you  can  see  him  still  from  here.  Come  up,  and 
you  will  see  him." 

Then  Guyon  descended,  and  the  lord,  leaving 
his  horse,  climbed  upon  the  roof.  But  as  soon  as 
he  had  done  so,  Guyon  took  away  the  ladder, 
mounted  the  horse,  taking  his  ladder  with  him, 
and  set  off  at  a  full  gallop,  leaving  the  lord 
swearing  and  storming  on  the  roof. 

At  the  end  of  a  year  and  a  day,  exactly,  the 
three  brothers,  mounted  on  fine  horses  and 
dressed  like  lords,  met  at  the  cross-roads  where 
they  had  parted,  and  found  their  father  waiting 
for  them. 

They  had  all  three  made  their  fortunes  with 
the  cat,  the  cock,  and  the  ladder;  and  they  mar- 
ried rich  women,  and  built  three  fine  castles,  one 
for  each,  and  a  fourth,  finer  than  the  others,  for 
their  old  father. 

Told  by   Marguerite   Philippe,   September,   1873. 

F.  M.  Luzel. 


THE  COCK'S  WIFE 

A    STORY    OF    THE    DISTRICT    OF    METZ 

NCE   upon  a  time   there   was   a  cock's 
wife   who  was   scratching  with   all  her 
might  in  a  great  heap  of  rubbish,  and 
seemed  deeply  absorbed  in  her  task. 

"You  are  very  silly,  Cock's-wife,"  said  a  man 
who  passed  by,  "to  waste  your  time  so,  and  wear 
out  your  feet  so  uselessly." 

"You  are  mistaken,  my  good  fellow;  I  am  not 
wasting  my  time,  for  I  have  just  found  a  purse 
with  a  hundred  crowns." 

"Really?" 

"See  here!" 

"Come,  my  good  creature,  lend  me  a  hundred 
crowns;  I  will  return  them  in  eight  days." 

"Very  well;  here  they  are,"  said  the  Cock's- 
wife,  putting  the  purse  into  his  hand  : — she  could 
never  refuse  to  do  a  kindness. 

At  the  end  of  the  week,  the  Cock's  wife,  seeing 
that  her  debtor  did  not  return,  began  to  fear  that 
she  had  been  deceived,  and  indignant,  she  started 
in  the  direction  of  the  house  where  the  fellow 
lived.  As  she  was  going  along,  at  a  turn  in  the 
road  she  met  a  ladder. 

180 


îço  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Where  are  you  going,  Cock's-wife?"  asked 
the  ladder. 

"I  am  going  to  a  fellow's  house  to  get  back  a 
hundred  crowns  that  I  lent  him.  Will  you  come 
with  me?" 

"Gladly!" 

"Very  well;  get  inside  of  me,"  said  the  Cock's- 
wife. 

Cock's-wife  went  on  her  way,  and  a  little  far- 
ther on  she  met  a  river. 

"Where  are  you  going,  Cock's-wife?"  said  the 
river. 

"I  am  going  to  a  fellow's  house  to  get  back  a 
hundred  crowns  that  I  lent  him.  Will  you  come 
with  me?" 

"With  pleasure,"  replied  the  river. 

"Very  well;  get  inside  of  me,"  said  the  Cock's- 
wife. 

The  Cock's-wife  started  off  again  ;  when  in  the 
midst  of  a  wood  she  came  across  a  wolf. 

"Where  are  you  going,  Cock's-wife?"  asked 
the  wolf. 

"I  am  going  to  a  fellow's  house  to  get  back  a 
hundred  crowns  that  I  lent  him.  Will  you  come 
with  me?" 

"I  will." 

"Very  well;  get  inside  of  me." 

In  spite  of  the  weight  of  her  three  companions, 
the  Cock's-wife  got  safely  to  the  end  of  her  jour- 
ney. 


THE  COCK'S  WIFE  191 

"Good  morning:,  my  man,  good  morning,"  said 
she,  as  she  entered;  "I  have  come  to  ask  you  to 
pay  me  my  hundred  crowns." 

The  fellow,  who  had  made  up  his  mind  not  to 
pay  his  deht.  fell  upon  the  Cock's-wife,  seized  her 
by  the  wings,  and  threw  her  into  a  well  near  the 
house.  Although  stunned  by  the  fall,  the  poor 
creature  did  not  lose  her  senses. 

"Ladder,  ladder,  come  out  of  me, 
Or  I  am  a  lost  Cock's-wife/' 

cried  she. 

The  ladder  obeyed  immediately;  and  the 
Cock's-wife  rapidly  climbed  the  ladder,  and 
jumped  out  of  the  well. 

The  fellow,  who  had  thought  she  was  drowned, 
could  not  control  his  anger  when  he  saw  her.  He 
sprang  on  her  £»o-ain.  and  threw  her  into  his  oven. 

When  she  felt  the  heat  of  the  flames,  she  cried 
in  an  eager  voice, — 

"River,  river,  come  out  of  me, 
Or  I  am  a  lost  Cock's  wife." 

The  river  flowed  out  immediately  and  put  out 
the  fire. 

The  Cock's-wife,  rejoiced  at  having  so  happily 
escaped  so  many  dangers,  was  going  away  un- 
suspectingly, when  she  was  again  seized  by  the 
fellow. 

"Ah!  vile  beast,"  he  screamed,  "you  thought  to 


192  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

escape  me,  but  you  shall  not  succeed;"  and  say- 
ing these  words,  he  threw  her  violently  between 
the  legs  of  his  oxen  standing  close  together  in 
a  narrow  stable,  sure  that  they  would  certainly 
trample  her. 

"Wolf,  wolf,  come  out  of  me, 
Or  I  am  a  lost  Cock's  wife." 

At  this  despairing  appeal,  the  wolf  jumped 
out,  and  in  a  few  moments  killed  the  oxen,  and 
then  the  man. 

The  Cock's-wife  took  the  hundred  crowns, 
which  she  found  hidden  in  the  fellow's  house,  in 
the  bottom  of  a  desk,  and  after  having  warmly 
thanked  the  ladder,  the  river,  and  the  wolf,  she 
returned  to  her  own  country,  where  she  led  ever 
afterwards  a  peaceful  and  honored  life. 

Told  by  the  widow  Madame  Richet,  aged  77  years,  at 
Woippy,  near  Metz. 

Nérée  Quépat. 


THE  CASTLE  HUNG  IN  THE  AIR 

a  sailor's  story 

NCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  fisher- 
man whose  only  possessions  consisted 
of  a  little  cabin  by  the  seashore,  his 
boat,  and  his  nets.  He  had  a  son  who  went 
fishing  with  him,  and  he  was  so  good-looking 
that  as  he  passed  along  every  one  turned  to  look 
at  him.  He  had  also  three  daughters,  very 
nearly  of  the  same  age,  and  all  three  as  beauti- 
ful as  the  day. 

The  fisherman,  who  was  old,  died;  his  son  be- 
came the  head  of  the  family,  and  at  all  eventides 
he  went  in  his  boat  to  fish,  so  as  to  get  something 
to  eat  for  all  his  household. 

One  day  as  he  was  setting  out  to  go  to  the 
strand,  he  saw  before  his  door  three  handsome 
lords,  who  asked  his  permission  to  enter  his  cabin 
to  rest  themselves  there  a  few  moments,  as  they 
came  from  a  distance  and  were  tired.  He  con- 
sented very  willingly,  and  welcomed  them  to  the 
best  that  he  had.  They  seated  themselves  in  the 
cabin,  and  were  so  struck  with  the  beauty  of  the 
sisters  that  they  all  three  fell  in  love  with  them. 
A  few  days  after,  they  married  them,  and  the 

193 


194  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

next  day  after  the  wedding  the  three  nobles,  who 
were  the  king  of  Fishes,  the  king  of  the  Birds, 
and  the  king  of  the  Rats  and  the  Mice,  wished  to 
take  their  wives  away  to  their  own  kingdoms. 
Before  leaving  their  brother-in-law,  they  each 
made  him  a  present.  Two  of  them  gave  him 
large  purses  full  of  gold,  but  the  gift  of  the  third 
was  only  an  old  snuff-box.  The  fisherman  put 
it  into  the  pocket  of  his  jacket,  without  even  hav- 
ing a  desire  to  open  it,  for  he  thought  that  his 
brother-in-law  had  wished  to  mock  him. 

The  fisherman  grew  very  lonely  after  his  sis- 
ters were  gone,  and  as  he  had  a  well-filled  purse, 
he  dressed  himself  as  a  well-to-do  countryman, 
left  his  cabin,  and  went  to  Paris.  For  two  years 
he  led  a  gay  life  there,  as  he  wanted  nothing, 
having  his  pockets  full  of  money  ;  but  lie  finished 
all  the  same  by  seeing  his  last  crown;  and  when 
he  had  nothing  left  but  debts,  his  friends  turned 
their  backs  on  him,  and  he  was  turned  out  of  his 
house.  Then  he  remembered  his  village  and 
his  little  cabin,  and  he  resolved  to  return  there 
and  once  more  take  up  his  trade  of  fisherman. 
But  when  he  came  to  the  little  creek  where  he 
had  left  his  boat,  he  saw  it  no  longer;  for  the 
north  wind  had  carried  it  away,  and  he  found 
only  his  grapnel  and  some  bits  of  half-rotten 
ground-tackling.  He  went  into  his  cabin,  which 
had  also  suffered  much  from  wind  and  weather, 


THE  CASTLE  HUNG  IN  THE  AIR     195 

and  began  to  fumble  in  the  pocket  of  his  jacket 
to  see  if  he  could  find  there  some  five-franc 
pieces.  But  he  turned  his  pockets  in  vain,  there 
was  not  even  one  poor  penny;  there  was  nothing 
there  but  the  old  snuff-box  that  his  brother-in- 
law  had  given  him.  He  was  on  the  point  of 
throwing  it  into  a  corner,  but  he  thought  that 
perhaps  it  contained  some  tobacco,  and  he  opened 
it.  As  soon  as  he  had  raised  the  lid,  he  heard  a 
small  voice,  which  said  to  him, — 

"Master,  what  do  you  want?" 

"What  do  I  want?"  murmured  the  fisherman, 
much  astonished  at  hearing  a  voice,  but  seeing  no 
one.  "There  are  a  great  many  things;  at  this 
moment  I  would  like  a  table  with  a  good  dinner 
on  it. 

Immediately  a  table  was  set  before  him  cov- 
ered with  bread  and  meats;  there  were  also  bot- 
tles of  wine,  and  even  coffee  and  brandy  were  not 
forgotten.  The  fisherman,  who  had  fasted  some- 
what for  some  time,  ate  with  a  good  appetite; 
then,  when  he  was  no  longer  hungry,  he  opened 
his  snuff-box  again,  and  ordered  it  to  transport 
him  to  the  chamber  of  the  king's  daughter.  Im- 
mediately he  rose  gently  above  the  clouds  as  if 
he  had  been  borne  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  and 
saw  beside  him  a  princess  as  beautiful  as  the  day, 
and  who  slept  so  quietly  that  one  could  scarcely 
hear  her  breathe.     In  the  morning  he  opened  his 


196  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

snuff-box  again  so  as  to  return  to  his  cabin  before 
the  princess  was  awake.  For  three  days  he  had 
himself  served  with  good  meals,  and  for  three 
nights  he  remained  gating  upon  the  king's  daugh- 
ter as  she  slept;  but  he  would  not  awaken  her, 
lest  he  should  frighten  her  and  give  her  trouble. 

However,  the  princess'  father  causes  it  to  be 
trumpeted  throughout  his  kingdom  and  in  the 
neighboring  countries  that  his  daughter  was  of 
an  age  to  be  married,  and  that  he  would  give  her 
to  the  one  who  should  bring  him  the  greatest 
quantity  of  grain;  for  the  harvest  had  been  bad, 
and  his  subjects  were  threatened  with  famine. 
Wagons  were  to  be  seen  on  the  roads  coming 
from  every  direction,  loaded  with  grain  ;  and  in  all 
the  ports  ships  whose  holds  were  filled  with  wheat. 
The  young  fisherman  was  delighted  to  hear  of 
the  king's  promise,  for  he  thought  that,  thanks 
to  his  snuff-box,  he  should  be  able  to  become  the 
husband  of  the  princess  who  pleased  him  so  much. 

He  opened  his  snuff-box,  and  immediately  he 
heard  the  small  voice  saying, — 

"Master,  what  do  you  want?" 

"I  would  like  thousands  and  thousands  of 
wagons  loaded  with  wheat,  so  that  no  one  could 
be  able  to  carry  as  much  to  the  king's  palace  as 
I." 

Accordingly  the  roads  were  covered,  farther 
than  the  eye  could  reach,  with  wagons,  and  the 


THE  CASTLE  HUNG  IN  THE  AIR     197 

fisherman  took  them  to  the  king,  who  found  that 
he  alone  brought  more  grain  than  all  the  others 
together.  Eight  days  after,  the  fisherman  mar- 
ried the  princess,  who  was  not  sorry  for  it,  be- 
cause he  was  a  handsome  fellow. 

The  day  after  the  wedding  he  opened  his  snuff- 
box and  asked  of  it  a  beautiful  castle  which 
should  be  hung  from  the  sky  by  four  golden 
chains,  near  the  palace  of  his  father-in-law.  As 
soon  as  he  had  spoken,  he  saw  the  castle  in  the 
sky,  hanging  from  the  clouds  by  four  golden 
chains.  It  was  so  beautiful  that  nothing  had 
ever  been  seen  equal  to  it,  and  it  shone  as  if  it 
had  been  made  entirely  of  gold.  When  the  king 
saw  this  beautiful  palace  which  glistened  in  the 
sun,  he  asked  his  son-in-law  what  it  could  be. 

"Sire,"  replied  the  fisherman,  "it  is  my  castle 
that  my  invisible  workmen  have  built  this  night 
above  your  garden.  If  you  wish  to  come  and 
look  over  it,  you  will  see  that  it  is  perfectly  fur- 
nished." 

The  king  embraced  his  son-in-law,  for  he  was 
charmed  to  see  him  with  such  a  beautiful  castle; 
and  when  he  had  gone  over  it  from  the  garret  to 
the  cellar,  he  proposed  to  him  to  go  hunting,  and 
they  both  started  off. 

Meanwhile  one  of  the  princess's  old  lovers 
came  to  the  castle  hung  by  the  golden  chains,  and 
looking  over  it,  he  perceived  in  a  corner  an  old 


198  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

worn-out  snuff-box.  Very  much  astonished  to 
see  it  in  such  a  place,  he  wished  to  open  it  to  find 
out  what  there  was  inside;  immediately  he  heard 
a  small  voice,  which  said, — 

"Master,  what  do  you  wish  for?" 

"What  do  I  wish  for?"  replied  the  lord.  "I 
wish  that  this  castle  may  be  transported  more 
than  four  hundred  and  fifty  leagues  from  here." 

In  a  moment  he  felt  the  castle  move,  and  he 
saw  it  pass  over  great  forests  and  vast  seas, 
which  it  crossed  in  the  wink  of  an  ejre.  At  last 
he  saw  it  stop  in  the  midst  of  a  country  where,  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  not  a  living  soul  could 
be  seen. 

Returning  from  the  hunt  with  his  father-in- 
law,  the  young  fisherman  came  to  a  rising  ground 
from  whence  he  thought  he  should  perceive  his 
castle;  but  was  greatly  surprised  to  see  it  no 
longer.  He  felt  in  his  pockets  and  found  that 
his  snuff-box  was  not  there. 

When  the  king  learned  that  the  castle  where 
his  daughter  was  had  disappeared,  he  got  into  a 
great  rage,  and  swore  upon  his  kingly  word  that, 
if  his  son-in-law  did  not  bring  the  princess  back 
before  two  months  had  passed,  he  would  have  him 
torn  in  pieces  by  four  horses. 

The  fisherman  was  very  sad  at  having  lost  his 
wife  and  his  castle  ;  but  he  thought  that  his  broth- 
ers-in-law would  be  able  to  help  him,  and  he  set 


THE  CASTLE  HUNG  IN  THE  AIR     199 

out  to  go  and  see  them.  He  first  went  to  find  the 
king  of  the  Fishes.  On  entering  the  palace,  he 
embraced  his  sister,  who  was  as  happy  as  a  prin- 
cess should  be;  then  he  related  his  misfortune  to 
his  brother-in-law,  and  asked  him  if  he  had  not 
heard  of  a  castle  hung  from  the  sky  by  four  gol- 
den chains. 

"No,"  replied  the  king  of  the  Fishes;  "I  have 
not  heard  of  it:  but  wait,  I  think  I  can  tell  you 
in  a  moment  where  it  is." 

He  plunged  into  the  sea,  and  assembled  all  his 
subjects  from  the  whale  to  the  flea-of-the-sea,  and 
asked  them  if  they  had  not  seen  a  castle  hung 
from  the  clouds  by  four  golden  chains;  but  they 
all  declared  that  it  was  the  first  time  they  had 
heard  of  it.  As  the  king  finished  questioning 
them,  he  saw  an  old  porpoise  come  up,  who  had 
stood  many  shots  and  many  storms. 

"And  you,  porpoise,"  asked  the  king  of  him, 
"have  you  not  seen  the  castle  hung  in  the  air 
by  four  golden  chains?" 

"No,"  he  answered,  "I  have  not  seen  it;  but 
as  I  was  playing  on  the  waves,  I  met  an  eagle 
who  told  me  of  a  castle  hung  by  four  golden 
chains;  a  marriage  was  to  be  celebrated  there  in 
eight  days,  and  so  many  meats  were  taken  there 
for  the  guests  that  the  eagle  told  me  he  had  never 
seen  so  many  before." 

The  king  of  the  Fishes  thanked  the  old  por- 


2oo  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

poise;  then  he  came  out  of  the  sea  and  went  to 
tell  his  brother-in-law  all  he  had  learned.  The 
fisherman  was  ver}r  glad  of  it,  and  set  out  at  once 
to  go  to  see  his  other  brother-in-law,  the  king  of 
the  Birds. 

When  he  reached  his  palace,  he  embraced  his 
sister,  then  told  his  adventures  to  the  king  of  the 
Birds,  and  asked  him  if  he  had  not  heard  of  a 
castle  hung  in  the  air  by  four  golden  chains. 
The  king  assembled  his  subjects,  and  asked  them 
if  they  had  seen  the  castle.  The  eagle  an- 
swered,— 

"Yes,  I  have  seen  it;  it  shines  like  gold,  and 
a  marriage  is  to  be  celebrated  there  in  seven  days. 
It  will  be  a  grand  wedding,  for  already  there  are 
so  many  meats  of  all  sorts  that  yesterday  I  could 
eat  as  much  of  them  as  I  wanted." 

"Could  you,"  asked  the  king,  "carry  a  man  as 
far  as  that?" 

"Yes,"  answered  the  eagle;  "but  first  I  must 
eat  a  great  deal,  for  the  way  will  be  long." 

During  the  whole  night  the  eagle  was  supplied 
with  meats,  and  he  feasted  until  the  break  of  day. 
In  the  morning  he  took  the  fisherman  on  his  back, 
and  flew  away  to  go  to  the  castle  hung  in  the  air 
by  four  golden  chains. 

For  several  hours  the  eagle  flew  over  a  great 
sea,  so  vast  that  neither  shores  nor  islands  were 
to  be  seen,  nothing  but  the  sky  and  the  sea;  but 


THE  CASTLE  HUNG  IN  THE  AIR     201 

his  strength  began  to  fail,  and  he  put  the  fisher- 
man down  on  a  rock  that  the  tide  had  just  ex- 
posed to  view;  then  he  went  off  at  a  single  flight 
for  the  castle  of  the  four  golden  chains,  so  as  to 
fill  his  stomach  again  with  meats,  and  be  able  to 
take  the  man  upon  his  back  again. 

The  fisherman  remained  alone  upon  the  rock, 
and  the  time  seemed  long  to  him,  for  the  eagle 
did  not  return,  and  he  knew  that  the  high  tide 
would  cover  the  rock.  Meanwhile  the  tide  rose 
higher  and  higher,  and  in  vain  he  looked  with 
all  his  eyes;  he  did  not  see  the  eagle  returning. 
He  stood  upon  the  highest  point  of  the  rock; 
soon  the  water  reached  him  there;  it  bathed  his 
feet,  then  his  knees;  it  rose  to  his  waist,  then  to 
his  shoulders,  and  still  he  saw  nothing  coming. 
Just  at  the  moment  when  the  waves  reached  his 
chin,  the  eagle  appeared,  and  having  taken  him 
on  his  back,  he  put  him  down  in  the  court-yard 
of  the  castle,  where  the  wedding  was  to  be  cele- 
brated the  next  day. 

The  fisherman's  wife  was  at  her  window;  she 
recognized  her  husband,  and  was  very  glad  to  see 
him,  for  she  loved  him  very  much,  and  it  was 
against  her  will  that  she  had  been  taken  away. 
She  found  an  opportunity  to  speak  to  him  se- 
cretly, and  said  to  him, — 

"The  lord  who  carried  me  away  never  leaves 
the  magic  snuff-box,  and  every  evening  when  he 


2o2  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

goes  to  bed,  he  puts  it  under  his  pillow,  so  it  is 
difficult  to  take  it  without  waking  him.  The 
eagle  must  go  and  find  the  husband  of  your  third 
sister,  the  one  who  commands  the  Rats  and  the 
Mice,  and  tell  him  to  order  some  of  his  subjects 
to  come  here.  When  the  lord  is  snoring,  a  little 
mouse  will  go  and  stuff  his  tail  in  his  open  mouth  ; 
then  he  will  cough,  and  while  he  is  sitting  up,  you 
will  be  able  to  secure  the  snuff-box." 

The  eagle  hastened  to  go  to  the  country  of 
the  Rats  and  Mice,  and  quickly  returned,  bring- 
ing on  his  back  a  little  mouse,  that  looked  wise, 
as  all  mice  do,  and  a  big  rat  with  a  long  tail. 

The  following  night,  as  soon  as  the  lord,  who 
before  going  to  bed  had  put  the  magic  snuff-box 
under  his  pillow,  began  to  snore,  the  little  mouse 
stuffed  her  tail  into  his  mouth;  but  it  was  not 
long  enough  to  reach  to  his  throat,  and  without 
waking,  the  man  squeezed  it  so  tightly  that  she 
thought  he  had  chopped  it  off.  She  began  to 
make  a  little  plaintive  sound,  and  he  loosened  his 
teeth;  then  she  ran  to  tell  the  fisherman's  wife 
that  she  had  not  been  able  to  succeed,  because 
her  tail  was  too  short.  Then  the  lady  ordered 
the  big  rat  to  try  in  his  turn;  he  took  his  aim  so 
well  that  he  stuffed  his  tail  quite  down  the  lord's 
throat.  The  latter  wakened  with  a  start,  half 
strangled,  and  sat  up  in  bed,  coughing  and  spit- 
ting as  if  he  were  ready  to  die. 


THE  CASTLE  HUNG  IN  THE  AIR     203 

Meanwhile  the  fisherman,  who  was  hidden  un- 
der the  bed,  had  passed  his  hand  under  the  pil- 
low and  seized  upon  the  snuff-box.  He  opened 
it  immediately  and  heard  a  small  voice,  which 
said,— 

"Master,  what  do  you  wish  for?" 

"What  do  I  wish  for?  I  wish  that  my  castle 
may  be  taken  back  again  to  my  father-in-law's 
garden,  to  the  place  where  it  was  before  this  ras- 
cal stole  my  snuff-box  from  me." 

In  a  moment  he  felt  that  the  castle  was  lifted 
and  borne  through  the  air;  he  saw  it  cross  over 
vast  seas  and  through  great  forests  in  the  wink 
of  an  eye,  and  soon  it  stopped  still  in  the  king's 
garden,  in  front  of  the  palace. 

The  king,  who  had  just  wakened,  went  to  his 
window,  and  when  he  saw  the  castle  hung  by 
four  golden  chains  between  heaven  and  earth,  he 
rubbed  his  eyes,  thinking  he  was  losing  his  sight  ; 
but  he  saw  his  son-in-law  and  his  daughter  com- 
ing, and  they  embraced  him  and  told  him  all  that 
had  happened  to  them. 

He  was  greatly  rejoiced  to  see  them  again,  and 
to  punish  him  who  had  carried  off  the  snuff-box, 
he  caused  him  to  be  torn  in  pieces  by  four  horses. 
There  were  great  rejoicings  in  honor  of  the  re- 
turn of  the  princess,  and  the  fisherman  lived  hap- 
pily with  her.  But  he  took  care  to  carry  the 
magic  snuff-box  always  with  him. 

Paul  Sebillot,  "Contes  des  Marins." 


THE  TWO  SOLDIERS 

A   LORRAINE   STORY 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  were  two  sol- 
diers who  were  about  sixty  years  old. 
Being  obliged  to  leave  the  service,  they 
determined  to  return  to  their  country.  As  they 
were  journeying  along,  they  said  one  to  the 
other, — • 

"What  are  we  going  to  do  to  get  our  living? 
We  are  too  old  to  learn  a  trade;  if  we  beg  our 
bread,  we  shall  be  told  we  are  not  too  old  to 
work,  and  nothing  will  be  given  us." 

"Let  us  draw  lots,"  said  one  of  them,  "who 
will  let  his  eyes  be  put  out,  and  we  will  go  beg- 
ging together." 

The  other  one  thought  it  a  good  idea.  The 
lot  fell  on  the  one  who  made  the  proposition;  his 
comrade  put  out  his  eyes,  and,  one  leading  the 
other,  they  went  from  door  to  door  begging  their 
bread.  A  great  deal  was  given  to  them.  But 
the  blind  man  got  but  little  good  of  it;  his  com- 
panion kept  all  that  was  good  for  himself,  and 
gave  him  only  the  bones  and  crusts  of  hard  bread. 

"Alas!"  said  the  unfortunate  creature,  "is  it 
not  enough  to  be  blind?     Must  I  be  so  badly 

treated  also?" 

204 


THE  TWO  SOLDIERS  205 

"If  you  complain  again,"  said  the  other,  "I 
will  leave  you  here." 

But  the  poor  blind  man  could  not  help  com- 
plaining. At  last  his  companion  left  him  in  a 
forest. 

After  having  wandered  all  about,  the  blind 
man  stopped  at  the  foot  of  a  tree. 

"What  will  become  of  me?"  said  he  to  himself, 
"night  is  coming,  and  the  wild  beasts  will  devour 
me." 

He  climbed  up  into  a  tree  for  safety.  To- 
wards eleven  or  twelve  o'clock  four  animals  came 
to  the  same  place, — the  fox,  the  wild  boar,  the 
wolf,  and  the  roebuck. 

"I  know  something,"  said  the  fox;  "but  I  will 
not  tell  it  to  any  one." 

"I  also  know  something,"  said  the  wolf. 

"And  I  also,"  said  the  roebuck. 

"Pshaw!"  said  the  wild  boar,  "you,  with  your 
little  horns,  what  do  you  know?" 

"Ah!"  remarked  the  roebuck,  "there  is  a  great 
deal  of  wit  in  my  little  brain  and  in  my  little 
horns." 

"Well,"  said  the  wild  boar,  "let  each  one  tell 
what  he  knows." 

The  fox  began, — 

"There  is  a  little  river  near  here  whose  water 
will  restore  the  sight  of  the  blind.  I  have  had 
an  eye  put  out  several  times  in  my  life  ;  I  bathed 
in  that  water,  and  I  was  healed." 


2o6  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"I  know  that  river  too,"  said  the  wold;  "I  have 
known  it  longer  than  you.  The  king's  daughter 
is  very  sick;  she  is  promised  in  marriage  to  the 
one  who  will  cure  her.  To  give  her  water  of  this 
river  would  be  quite  sufficient  to  restore  her 
health." 

The  roebuck  said  in  his  turn, — 

"The  city  of  Lyons  is  in  need  of  water,  and 
they  have  promised  fifteen  thousand  francs  to  the 
one  who  shall  be  able  to  get  a  supply  for  it. 
Now,  if  they  would  dig  up  the  tree  of  liberty,  they 
would  find  a  spring,  and  they  would  have  an 
abundance  of  water." 

"I,"  said  the  wild  boar,  "I  know  nothing." 

Thereupon  the  animals  separated. 

"Ah!"  said  the  blind  man  to  himself,  "if  I 
could  only  find  that  spring!" 

He  got  down  from  the  tree,  and  went  groping 
through  the  country.  At  last  he  came  to  the 
river.  There  he  bathed  his  eyes,  and  he  began 
to  see  again  ;  he  bathed  them  again,  and  his  sight 
was  perfectly  restored. 

Then  he  went  at  once  to  the  mayor  of  Lyons, 
and  told  him  that  if  he  wanted  water  he  had 
only  to  pull  up  the  tree  of  liberty.  Sure  enough  ! 
when  the  tree  was  dug  up,  they  discovered  a 
spring;  and  the  city  had  as  much  water  as  was 
necessary.  The  soldier  received  the  promised 
fifteen  thousand  francs,  and  went  to  see  the  king. 


THE  TWO  SOLDIERS  207 

"Sire,"  said  he  to  him,  "I  have  heard  that  your 
daughter  is  very  sick;  and  I  have  something  that 
will  cure  her." 

And  he  told  him  of  the  water  of  the  river. 
The  king  sent  one  of  his  footmen  immediately 
for  some  of  the  water.  They  made  the  princess 
drink  of  it,  they  made  her  take  baths  of  it,  and 
she  was  cured. 

The  king  said  to  the  soldier, — 

"Although  you  are  a  little  old,  you  shall  marry 
my  daughter  ;  or  else,  if  you  prefer  it,  I  will  give 
you  some  money." 

The  soldier  preferred  to  marry  the  princess; 
he  knew  very  well  that  with  the  daughter  he 
would  have  the  money  also.  The  marriage  took 
place  without  delay. 

One  day  when  the  soldier  was  taking  a  walk  in 
the  garden,  he  saw  a  man  all  in  rags  who  was  ask- 
ing charity;  he  recognized  at  once  his  old  com- 
rade. 

"Were  there  not  two  of  you  begging  for- 
merly?" said  he  to  him  as  he  came  up  to  him. 
"Where  is  your  companion?" 

"He  is  dead,"  answered  the  beggar. 

"Tell  the  truth;  you  will  not  repent  of  it. 
What  has  become  of  him?" 

"I  abandoned  him." 

"Why?" 

"He  was  always  complaining.     It  was  always 


2o8  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

he  who  got  the  good  pieces  ;  when  we  had  bread, 
I  gave  him  the  crumbs,  because  he  had  no  teeth, 
and  I  ate  the  crusts;  I  gave  him  the  meat,  and 
kept  the  bones  for  myself." 

"It  is  a  lie!  you  did  just  the  opposite.  Would 
you  recognize  your  companion?" 

"I  do  not  know." 

"Well,  I  am  that  companion." 

"But  are  you  not  the  king?" 

"Doubtless;  but  I  am  also  your  old  comrade. 
Come  in;  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it." 

When  the  beggar  learned  all  that  had  hap- 
pened to  the  blind  man,  he  said  to  him, — 

"I  would  like  to  have  the  same  luck.  Take  me 
therefore  to  that  same  tree;  perhaps  the  animals 
will  come  there  again." 

"Willingly,"  said  the  other;  "I  am  willing  to 
return  you  good  for  evil." 

He  took  the  beggar  to  the  tree  ;  and  the  beggar 
climbed  up  into  it. 

About  eleven  or  twelve  o'clock,  the  four  ani- 
mals collected  there  again.  The  fox  said  to  the 
others, — 

"What  we  said  the  other  night  was  overheard; 
the  king's  daughter  is  cured,  and  the  city  of 
Lyons  has  water.  Who,  then,  has  revealed  our 
secrets?" 

"It  is  not  I,"  said  the  wolf. 

"Nor  I,"  said  the  roebuck. 


THE  TWO  SOLDIERS  209 

"I  am  sure  that  it  is  the  wild  boar,"  said  the 
fox;  "he  had  nothing  to  say  himself,  and  he  went 
and  told  what  the  others  said." 

"It  is  not  true,"  replied  the  wild  boar. 

"Take  care!"  said  the  fox;  "we  shall  all  three 
be  against  you." 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  you,"  said  the  wild  boar, 
showing  his  teeth;  "just  you  meddle  with  me!" 

Suddenly  raising  their  eyes,  they  saw  the  beg- 
gar up  in  the  tree. 

"Oh!  oh!"  said  they,  "here  is  a  man  who  is 
spying  upon  us." 

Immediately  they  set  to  work  to  root  up  the 
tree;  then  they  seized  upon  the  man  and  de- 
voured him. 

Emmanuel  Cosquin,  "Contes  Populaires  Lorrains." 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  AND  THE 
GIANT 

A   STORY    OF    PICARDY 

GOOD  woman  had  three  children,  all 
boys  :  the  first  was  named  Jean  ;  the  sec- 
ond, Jeannot;  and  the  third,  Jeannois. 
These  three  children  passed  for  the  sharpest  in 
the  canton,  and  the  good  woman  was  very  glad  of 
it,  as  you  may  imagine.  One  fine  day  she  went 
to  the  wood  with  them  to  pick  up  some  dead 
wood  there,  and  make  fagots  of  it  for  the  ap- 
proaching winter.  The  children  soon  had 
enough  of  looking  for  pieces  of  dead  wood,  and 
preferring  to  gather  mulberries,  nuts,  and  dog- 
berries,  they  left  their  mother  and  plunged  into 
the  coppice  farther  and  farther,  until  they  did 
not  hear  the  cries  and  calls  of  the  good  woman, 
who  after  awhile,  thinking  they  had  returned  to 
the  village,  went  back  to  her  house. 

Soon  evening  came  on,  and  Jean,  Jeannot,  and 
Jeannois  perceived  with  terror  that  they  were  lost 
in  the  woods. 

"What  shall  we  do?"  said  Jean.  "What  shall 
we  do?"  said  Jeannot.  "What  shall  we  do?" 
added  Jeannois. 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  211 

They  did  not  know  what  to  do,  and  they  began 
to  hear  the  howling  of  the  foxes  and  wolves  in 
the  depth  of  the  forest.  At  last  Jean,  the  old- 
est, had  an  inspiration.  He  climbed  to  the  top  of 
a  great  oak-tree  which  grew  near  by,  and  turned 
in  every  direction  so  that  he  could  observe  the 
neighborhood.  He  discovered  a  light  which 
shone  in  the  distance,  and  having  well  observed 
the  position  of  it,  he  came  down  from  the  oak 
and  walked  with  his  brothers  in  the  direction  of 
the  light. 

After  they  had  gone  beyond  the  wood,  they 
saw  a  palace  before  them,  and  went  and  knocked 
at  the  door. 

Tap  !  tap  ! 

"Who  is  there  at  this  hour?" 

"We  are  three  little  children  lost  in  the  for- 
est, and  we  want  to  pass  the  night  in  this  beau- 
tiful palace.     Will  you  give  us  lodging  here?" 

A  young  woman  half  opened  the  door. 

"Do  you  not  know  that  this  is  the  palace  of  the 
Giant  of  the  Golden  Beard?  He  is  out  at  this 
moment,  but  he  will  be  back  before  long.  If  you 
take  my  advice  you  will  make  haste  and  run  away, 
for  he  might  kill  you  and  eat  you  as  he  has  done 
so  many  persons." 

"But,  madam,  we  do  not  know  which  way  to  go 
this  dark  night.  Hide  us  safely  somewhere,  and 
to-morrow,  at  the  break  of  day,  we  will  go  away 
without  the  Giant's  suspecting  anything  of  it." 


212  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

The  woman  was  moved  with  pity,  and  let  the 
children  come  into  the  castle.  She  made  them  go 
down  into  the  cellar,  and  gave  them  good  cakes 
to  eat.  Then,  hearing  the  Giant's  step  in  the  dis- 
tance, she  charged  the  lost  children  to  hide  them- 
selves well  behind  a  big  cask,  and  went  up-stairs 
as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

The  Giant  of  the  Golden  Beard  had  been  on  a 
long  tramp  and  was  dying  of  thirst.  He  went 
down  into  the  cellar  to  refresh  himself,  in  spite 
of  his  wife,  who  besought  him  to  go  to  bed. 

"I  smell  fresh  meat  here,"  muttered  the  Giant 
as  he  came  near  the  cask  behind  which  the  chil- 
dren were  cowering. 

As  he  was  very  thirsty,  he  took  out  the  bung, 
lifted  the  cask  as  if  it  had  been  a  straw  and  drank 
and  drank  through  it.  As  he  set  the  great  wine 
cask  down  on  the  ground  he  hurt  little  Jeannois, 
who  could  not  help  uttering  a  cry. 

"Ah!  ah!"  cried  the  Giant  of  the  Golden 
Beard,  "I  was  sure  I  smelt  fresh  meat!  It  is 
good!  it  is  good!  I  shall  take  you  up-stairs  and 
kill  you;  I  shall  have  an  excellent  breakfast  to- 
morrow." 

He  took  the  three  unfortunate  boys  in  one 
hand  and  brought  them  up  into  the  kitchen. 

But  the  wife  who  had  heard  what  the  Giant 
had  just  said,  had  hastened  to  hide  his  big  knife, 
and  her  husband  looked  for  it  in  vain:  he  could 
not  succeed  in  finding  it. 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  213 

"Very  well!  very  well!  You  will  lose  nothing 
by  waiting!  Wife,  put  these  three  children  in 
my  daughters'  room  and  give  them  a  bed.  I  will 
kill  them  to-morrow.     The  flesh  will  be  fresher." 

The  woman  obeyed  tremblingly,  and  every  one 
went  to  bed. 

"We  are  in  a  very  bad  place,"  thought  Jean- 
not.  And  he  got  down  from  his  bed  to  examine 
the  Giant's  daughters,  who  were  sleeping  in  the 
bed  near  by. 

The  moon  had  risen,  and  Jeannot  perceived 
that  the  young  girls  wore  a  crown  of  gold  on 
their  heads,  and  that  there  were,  as  in  their  own 
case,  three  of  them. 

"Suppose  the  Giant  should  get  up  and  come  to 
wring  our  necks  during  the  night,"  thought  Jean- 
not. "It  is  very  possible,  certainly.  I  am  going 
to  take  off  the  three  crowns  and  put  them  on  my 
head  and  my  brothers'.  The  Giant  will  perhaps 
be  deceived." 

So  he  did  what  he  had  thought  of,  and  went  to 
bed  again.  He  was  just  in  time.  The  Giant  of 
the  Golden  Beard  had  drunk  too  much  wine,  and 
found  himself  uncomfortable  in  his  bed.  To  kill 
time,  he  determined  to  get  up  and  go  and  kill 
the  three  little  boys  whom  chance  had  sent  to 
him. 

He  went  to  the  bed  where  the  latter  were  pre- 
tending to  be  asleep  and  took  hold  of  Jean's 
head. 


214  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Idiot!"  said  he  to  himself,  "I  was  about  to 
kill  my  daughters.  I  have  mistaken  the  bed." 
And  he  went  to  the  other  bed  and  wrung  the 
necks  of  his  own  children. 

Then,  satisfied  with  his  work,  he  went  to  bed 
again. 

Jean,  Jeannot,  and  Jeannois  dressed  them- 
selves hastily  and  escaped  through  the  window. 

Imagine  the  anger  and  dismay  of  the  Giant, 
when  on  waking  the  next  morning  he  saw  what 
he  had  done  during  the  night.  He  became  more 
wicked  than  before,  and  went  about  through  the 
country  killing  the  travelers,  murdering  peasants, 
and  setting  at  defiance  the  armies  that  the  king 
sent  against  him. 

As  for  Jean,  Jeannot,  and  Jeannois,  not  know- 
ing which  way  to  go,  they  took  at  last  a  highway, 
which  at  the  end  of  two  days'  journey  brought 
them  to  the  capital  of  the  kingdom.  They  asked 
to  speak  to  the  king  and  to  tell  him  their  adven- 
tures in  the  palace  of  the  Giant  of  the  Golden 
Beard.  The  king  appointed  them  to  be  pages 
from  that  day  forth. 

I  told  you  that  the  Giant,  made  furious  by 
the  death  of  his  children,  went  about  ravaging  the 
kingdom.  This  went  on  for  two  or  three  years. 
Many  knights  had  gone  forth  to  fight  against 
him,  and  not  one  of  them  had  returned.  The 
king  also  trembled  in  his  palace,   fearing  that 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  215 

some  day  this  terrible  man  would  take  a  fancy 
to  come  and  attack  him  in  his  city. 

One  day  Jean,  the  oldest  of  the  three  pages, 
went  to  the  king  and  asked  the  hand  of  his  eldest 
daughter,  with  the  title  of  knight.  The  king  re- 
fused at  first;  then,  on  reflection,  he  said  to  the 
page, — 

"I  grant  you  what  you  desire,  on  condition  that 
you  show  yourself  worthy  of  it.  You  have  not 
forgotten  that  famous  Giant  of  the  Golden 
Beard,  who  came  near  killing  both  yourself  and 
your  brothers.  Very  well;  bring  me  his  golden 
beard,  and  I  swear  to  you  that  I  will  make  you  a 
knight  and  give  you  my  daughter  in  marriage." 

Jean  accepted  these  terms.  The  king  wanted 
to  give  him  arms  like  those  of  the  knights,  but  he 
refused  them.  He  took  the  road  his  brothers  and 
he  had  taken  before,  and  presented  himself  at  the 
Giant's  castle.  It  was  broad  daylight,  and  the 
page  sounded  the  horn. 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  the  Man  with  the 
Golden  Eeard. 

"I  want  to  fight  with  you  to-morrow  morning. 
I  have  beaten  all  the  giants  I  have  been  able  to 
encounter  hitherto,  and  I  want  to  beat  you  as  I 
have  done  all  the  others." 

"You  are  very  young,  handsome  page;  but  no 
matter.  Come  into  my  castle,  and  to-morrow 
we  will  fight." 


2i6  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

Jean  did  not  wait  to  be  persuaded,  and  entered 
the  palace  of  the  Giant  of  the  Golden  Beard,  who 
gave  him  an  invitation  to  dine  with  him.  The 
page  accepted,  and  while  the  Giant  had  his  back 
turned,  he  poured  out  for  him  a  liquor  which  pos- 
sessed the  quality  of  causing  sleep  for  several 
clays. 

"Here  is  to  your  health!" 

"Here  is  to  your  health!" 

And  the  page  and  the  Giant  emptied  their 
glasses  with  a  single  draught.  At  the  same  mo- 
ment the  latter  fell  under  the  table  and  began 
to  snore  so  loud  that  the  whole  castle  shook. 
Without  losing  time  the  young  man  took  the  scis- 
ors  which  he  had  brought,  and  cut  off  the  Giant's 
golden  beard.  Then  he  left  the  palace  and  «et 
out  for  the  capital,  where  he  arrived  two  days 
after. 

The  king  was  very  much  astonished;  he  had 
promised  his  daughter  to  the  page,  and  he  be- 
stowed her  upon  him,  telling  him  he  would  dub 
him  knight  later  on.  A  short  while  after  that, 
Jeannot  came  also  to  find  the  king. 

"My  lord  the  king,"  said  he,  "I  love  your 
daughter,  Marie,  and  I  think  she  loves  me.  Will 
you  make  me  a  knight  and  bestow  her  hand  upon 


me 


"But  you  have  done  nothing  that  I  know  of  to 
merit  such  an  honor." 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  217 

"I  am  ready  to  show  myself  worthy  of  it. 
Command,  and  I  will  obey  you." 

The  king  reflected,  and  then  said, — 

"Well,  you  shall  have  what  you  ask  me  for, 
when  you  bring  me  the  Giant's  broadsword,  that 
you  will  remember." 

Jeannot  agreed,  and  set  out  for  the  Giant's 
castle,  wearing  neither  arms  nor  shield. 

He  arrived  there  at  the  end  of  two  days  and 
sounded  the  horn. 

"Ah!  ah!"  cried  the  Giant,  "another  one  who 
wishes  to  rob  me!     Very  well;  I  will  see  to  it." 

"I  do  not  come  for  that  purpose;  but  I  have 
been  told  that  you  could  drink  more  wine  than 
any  one  in  the  world,  and  I  have  come  to  compare 
myself  with  you." 

"Is  that  really  true?" 

"Perfectly  true!  But  I  verily  believe  that  I 
can  beat  you.  I  can  drink  fifty  casks  of  wine 
without  being  hurt  by  it." 

"We  will  see;  we  will  see.  Come  into  the  cas- 
tle. I  am  ready  to  have  a  match  with  you.  But 
who  will  begin  first?" 

"You,  if  you  please." 

"Agreed." 

Jeannot  went  down  in  the  Giant's  cellar,  and 
the  latter  wishing  to  drink  as  much  as  he  possi- 
bly could,  swallowed  ever  and  ever  so  much  wine, 
so  that  soon  he  staggered  and  fell  down  dead- 


2i8  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

drunk.  Jeannot  took  his  broadsword  and  car- 
ried it  to  the  king,  who  was  more  astonished 
than  when  Jean  returned  with  the  golden  beard. 

Jeannot  married  the  princess  Marie,  but  the 
king  did  not  make  him  knight  at  once. 

There  was  only  Jeannois  left. 

One  day  he  came  to  the  king,  and  said, — 

"My  lord  the  king,  I  love  your  youngest 
daughter;  she  loves  me  also,  and  I  come  to  ask 
you  for  her  hand,  and  the  title  of  knight." 

"All  that  is  very  well.  But  you  must  deserve 
it." 

"Command,  and  I  will  do  whatever  you  order 
me  to  do." 

The  king  thought  awhile,  and  at  last  he  said, — 

"Your  brothers  have  taken  the  Giant's  beard 
and  his  broadsword.  Could  you  bring  him  to  me 
in  an  iron  cage?" 

"I  will  try,  my  lord  the  king;  farewell." 

Jeannois  had  a  very  large  iron  carriage  made 
and  went  to  the  Giant's  castle.  When  he  got 
there  he  sounded  the  horn. 

"What  do  you  want?  worm  of  the  earth!  dust 
of  nothingness!" 

"Let  me  into  your  castle,  and  I  will  tell  you." 

"Ah  !  you  are  one  of  those  pages  who  stole  my 
beard  and  my  broadsword.  I  see  what  you  want, 
and  I  am  going  to  kill  you." 

"One  moment,  if  you  please.     Do  not  be  in  a 


~ --"-':,;-  •'.  .;'-:l  ,',.,  U    -,       à'. 


THE  GIANT  GOT  INTO  THE    IRON    CARRIAGE. 


f** 


THE  THREE  BROTHERS  219 

hurry.  I  have  just  come  to  find  you  in  order  to 
restore  what  they  stole  from  you.  The  two  pages 
are  alone  in  a  distant  castle,  and  I  have  brought 
my  carriage  so  as  to  carry  us  there  more  quickly." 
The  Giant  allowed  himself  to  be  deceived 
again,  and  got  into  the  iron  carriage,  where  he 
found  himself  imprisoned.  And  Jeannois  re- 
turned quickly  to  the  court.  The  king  was  very 
glad,  as  he  well  might  have  been,  at  having  got 
rid  of  the  robber,  who  was  burned  on  an  immense 
pile  built  on  the  great  square  of  the  city.  Jean- 
nois married  the  princess  whom  he  loved,  and  the 
king  made  the  three  brothers  knights  of  his  king- 
dom. During  the  feasts  that  were  given,  the 
mother  of  Jean,  Jeannot,  and  Jeannois  came  to 
the  city,  still  searching  for  her  children.  Im- 
agine her  happiness  and  that  of  her  sons. 

E.  H.  Carnoy,  "Littérature  Orale  de  la  Picardie." 


THE  FAIRY  AND  THE  DAUGHTER 
OF  THE  EARTH 

A   STORY   OF   THE   ISLE   OF    OUESSANT 

ONCE  upon  a  time, — a  very  long  time  ago, 
— perhaps  the  time  when  Saint  Pol  came 
to  us  from  Hibernia  in  a  stone  trough, — 
there  was  a  young  girl  sixteen  or  seventeen  years 
old,  with  fair  hair,  blue  eyes,  and  cheeks  as  red 
as  two  apples,  and  her  name  was  Mona  Kerbile. 
She  was  so  beautiful  that  all  who  saw  her  stopped 
to  admire  her,  and  said  to  her  mother,  old  Jeanne 
Kerbile,  a  poor  woman  like  myself, — 

"You  have  a  very  pretty  daughter,  Jeanne! 
She  is  as  pretty  as  a  fairy!  Such  a  beautiful 
girl  has  never  before  been  seen  in  the  island,  and 
there  are  even  those  who  say  that  she  must  be  the 
child  of  a  fairy." 

"Do  not  believe  those  who  say  so,"  replied  the 
erood  woman,  "for  I  truly  am  her  mother,  and 
Fanch  Kerbile,  my  husband,  is  surely  her  father." 

Mona's  father  was  a  fisherman,  and  spent  al- 
most all  of  his  time  on  the  water,  and  her  mother 
tended  a  small  spot  of  ground  that  she  had,  as 
all  the  island  people  did,  or  spun  in  her  hut  when 


THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  EARTH     221 

the  weather  was  too  bad.  Mona  went,  as  all  the 
young  girls  of  her  age  did,  to  seek  for  limpets, 
mussels,  periwinkles,  and  other  shell-fish  on  the 
shore.  It  seems  that  the  fairies,  who  were  then 
very  numerous  in  the  island,  had  observed  her, 
and  had,  themselves  also,  been  struck  with  her 
beauty.  One  day  when  she  was  on  the  shore 
with  her  companions  as  usual,  they  were  talking 
of  their  lovers.  Each  one  boasted  of  the  skill 
of  her  own  in  catching  fish,  and  steering  a  boat, 
and  in  guiding  it  among  the  numerous  dangers 
by  which  the  island  was  surrounded. 

"You,  Mona,"  said  Marc'harit  Ar  Fur  to  her, 
"you  are  wrong  to  discourage  Fanch  Kerdudal  as 
you  do,  for  he  is  a  young  fellow  of  excellent 
character,  clever,  and  no  one  comes  back  in  the 
evening  with  more  fish  than  he,  nor  guides  his 
bark  better  among  the  difficult  passes  of  the 
Vieille  Jument  or  the  point  of  Stiff." 

"I,"  said  Mona,  scornfully, — for  on  account  of 
hearing  it  said  that  she  was  beautiful,  she  had  be- 
come vain  and  proud, — "I  will  never  take  a  fish- 
erman for  my  husband  ;  I  am  too  pretty  for  that. 
I  am  as  beautiful  as  a  fairy  ;  they  tell  me  so  every 
day,  and  I  shall  marry  no  one  but  a  prince,  or 
at  least  the  son  of  a  great  lord." 

It  happened  that  an  old  fairy,  hidden  behind 
a  rock  or  under  a  tuft  of  sea-wrack,  heard  her, 
and  jealous  at  seeing  that  a  daughter  of  the  earth 


222  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

could  rival  the  beauty  of  the  children  of  the 
fairies,  he  conceived  the  design  of  carrying  her  off 
and  taking  her  with  him  to  his  home  under  the 
water.  He  dared  not  try  to  do  it  that  day,  for 
Mona  was  in  the  midst  of  her  companions.  But 
the  next  day  about  sunset,  while  she  was  still 
catching  shell-fish  with  two  other  of  the  village 
girls,  and  was  somewhat  apart  from  her  friends, 
the  old  fairy  suddenly  sprang  out  from  behind  a 
rock  where  he  was  watching  her,  seized  her  and 
took  her  away  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  water. 
She  cried  loudly,  and  called  her  friends  to  her 
assistance,  but  alas!  they  could  not  come  to  help 
her  ;  they  could  only  run  to  the  house  and  tell  her 
mother  what  they  had  seen.  Old  Jeanne  was 
spinning  on  her  doorsteps.  She  threw  down  her 
distaff  and  her  spindle,  and  ran  to  the  shore,  and 
called  her  daughter  loudly,  and  even  went  into 
the  water  as  far  as  she  could  at  the  place  where 
they  told  her  that  Mona  had  disappeared  with 
the  fairy.  But  it  was  all  in  vain,  and  no  voice 
replied  to  her  cries  and  her  tears. 

The  report  of  the  adventure  spread  quickly 
over  the  island,  and  every  one  was  of  the  opinion 
that  what  had  happened  to  the  beautiful  Mona 
was  a  punishment  for  her  pride  and  her  vanity; 
for  however  beautiful  a  young  girl  may  be,  she 
should  neither  be  proud  nor  vain,  for  God  gives 
beauty  and  ugliness,  and  riches  and  poverty 
also,  as  it  pleases  him. 


THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  EARTH    223 

The  old  fairy  was  the  king  of  the  fairies  in 
those  parts,  and  he  took  the  young  Ouessantine 
with  him  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  to  a  beautiful 
palace  made  of  shells  and  coral. 

The  old  fairy  had  a  son,  the  handsomest  fairy 
that  ever  was  seen,  and  he  fell  in  love  with  Mona 
and  asked  his  father  to  let  him  marry  her.  But 
the  old  king  answered  that  he  would  never  con- 
sent to  allow  him  to  take  for  his  wife  a  daughter 
of  man  who  boasted  of  being  as  beautiful  as  the 
daughter  of  a  fairy.  There  were  plenty  of  the 
most  beautiful  fairies,  who  would  be  glad  to  have 
him  for  their  husband,  and  he  would  not  with- 
hold his  consent  when  he  should  have  made  his 
choice  among  them. 

Our  young  f  aiiy  was  then  in  despair.  He  told 
his  father  that  he  would  never  marry  if  he  was  not 
allowed  to  have  for  his  wife  the  daughter  of  man 
whom  he  loved.  His  father  seeing  him  dying  of 
sadness  and  grief,  compelled  him  to  marry  a 
young  fairy,  the  daughter  of  an  old  lord  among 
the  fairies,  and  who  was  celebrated  for  her 
beauty.  The  wedding  day  was  fixed,  and  a  great 
many  people  were  invited.  The  betrothed  cou- 
ple set  out  on  their  way  to  the  church,  followed 
by  a  rich  and  numerous  train;  for  it  appears  that 
these  people  of  the  sea  have  their  religion  and 
their  churches  as  we  do,  although  they  are  not 
Christians;  they  even  have  bishops,  we  are  told, 


224  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

and  an  old  bishop  of  the  sea  was  to  perform  the 
ceremony.  Poor  Mona  received  an  order  from 
the  old  fairy  to  stay  at  home  and  prepare  the 
wedding  feast.  But  they  gave  her  nothing  that 
was  needed  for  all  this,  absolutely  nothing 
but  large  pots  and  empty  sauce-pans  (which  were 
large  shells) ,  but  they  told  her  that  if  everything 
was  not  ready,  and  if  she  did  not  serve  them  a 
good  feast  when  they  returned  from  church  she 
should  be  put  to  death  immediately.  Imagine 
her  grief  and  perplexity,  poor  girl!  But  the 
poor  young  bridegroom  was  not  less  troubled 
and  disconsolate. 

As  the  procession  was  on  its  way  to  the  church, 
he  suddenly  cried  out, — 

"I  have  forgotten  the  wedding  ring!" 

"Tell  me  where  it  is,  and  I  will  send  for  it," 
said  his  father  to  him. 

"No;  no;  I  will  go  myself,  for  no  one  but  me 
could  find  it  where  I  have  put  it.  I  will  hasten 
there  and  will  return  in  a  moment." 

And  he  let  go  the  bride's  arm  and  ran  to  the 
house.  He  found  poor  Mona  in  the  kitchen, 
weeping  and  desolate. 

"Do  not  weep,"  said  he  to  her;  "your  feast  will 
be  ready  and  cooked  to  perfection  ;  so  do  not  be 
troubled  on  that  account." 

And  going  to  the  fireplace,  he  said* — 

"Good  fire  in  the  fireplace!" 


THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  EARTH     225 

And  the  fire  burned  up  in  the  fireplace.  Then 
touching  with  his  hand  each  of  the  pots  and  sauce- 
pans successively,  he  said, — 

"Some  beef  in  this  saucepan,  veal  and  mutton 
in  that  other  one:  here  a  mutton  on  the  spit; 
cider  and  wine  in  these  pots  !"  and  so  on. 

And  the  saucepans  and  pots  were  filled  at  once, 
to  the  surprise  and  joy  of  Mona,  who  was  no 
longer  weeping. 

Then  he  hastened  to  rejoin  his  bride  and  his 
party,  and  they  went  to  the  church,  and  the  cere- 
mony was  performed  by  a  bishop  of  the  sea. 
After  that  they  returned  to  the  house. 

When  they  arrived  there,  the  old  fairy  hastened 
the  first  thing  to  the  kitchen,  and  asked  for  Mona. 

"Here  we  are;  we  have  come  back;  is  every- 
thing ready  for  the  feast?" 

"Yes;  everything  is  ready,"  answered  Mona 
quietly. 

And  he  uncovered  all  the  saucepans,  examined 
all  the  pots,  and  then  said,  with  a  displeased  air, — 

"You  have  been  helped  ;  but  never  mind  ;  I  have 
not  finished  with  you  yet." 

The  wedding  guests  seated  themselves  at  the 
table,  and  they  eat  and  drank  as  much  as  they 
would;  then  they  sang  and  danced  till  night. 

After  the  evening's  entertainment,  the  two 
young  married  people  retired  to  their  chamber, 
and  the  old  fairy  told  Mona  to  go  with  them,  and 


226  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

remain  there,  holding  in  her  hand  a  burning  wax- 
taper  to  give  them  light.  When  the  taper  should 
be  burnt  down  to  her  hand,  she  should  be  put  to 
death. 

Poor  Mona  was  obliged  to  obey.  The  old 
fairy  was  in  a  room  near  by,  and  from  time  to 
time  he  asked, — 

"Is  the  taper  consumed?" 

"Not  yet,"  answered  Mona. 

He  asked  this  question  several  times.  At  last 
when  the  wax-taper  was  almost  entirely  con- 
sumed, the  young  husband  said  to  the  new  wife, — 

"It  is  your  turn  now  to  go  and  hold  the  wax- 
taper  a  while!" 

As  she  did  not  know  the  intentions  of  her 
father-in-law,  she  got  up  and  took  the  wax-taper 
from  Mona's  hands. 

The  old  fairy  asked  again, — 

"Has  the  wax-taper  burned  down  to  your 
hand?" 

"Tell  him  yes,"  said  the  bridegroom. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  young  fairy. 

And  immediately  the  old  fairy  came  into  the 
room,  seized  upon  her  who  held  in  her  hand  the 
remnant  of  the  wax-taper,  and  cut  off  her  head. 
Then  he  went  away. 

In  the  morning,  as  soon  as  he  had  risen,  the 
young  fairy  went  to  his  father,  and  spoke  thus  to 
him,— 


THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  EARTH     227 

"I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  allow  me  to  marry, 
my  father." 

"To  allow  you  to  marry?  Were  you  not  mar- 
ried yesterday?" 

"That  is  true;  but  my  wife  is  dead,  father." 

"Your  wife  is  dead?  How  did  it  happen? 
Have  you  killed  her,  you  miserable  creature?" 

"It  is  not  I  who  have  killed  her,  father,  but 
you,  yourself." 

"I?" 

"Yes,  father;  did  you  not  yesterday  cut  off  the 
head  of  the  woman  who  was  holding  the  lighted 
wax-taper  near  my  bed?" 

"Yes;  but  it  was  the  daughter  of  the  earth." 

"No,  my  father,  it  was  the  young  fairy  whom  I 
had  just  married;  and  if  you  do  not  believe  me, 
you  can  easily  be  assured  of  it,  for  her  body  is 
still  in  my  chamber." 

The  old  fairy  hastened  to  his  son's  chamber, 
and  recognized  his  mistake.  His  anger  was  ter- 
rible, and  a  little  more  and  he  would  have  killed 
his  son  himself. 

"Whom  do  you  wish  to  take  for  a  wife?"  he 
asked  his  son  the  next  daj7  when  he  was  a  little 
pacified. 

"The  daughter  of  the  earth,  my  father." 

The  father  found  at  last  that  it  was  useless  to 
seek  to  cure  his  son  of  this  love,  and  he  concluded 
to  allow  him  to  marry  the  daughter  of  the 
earth. 


228  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

The  young  fairy  was  very  attentive  to  his  wife. 
He  fed  her  on  delicate  little  fish,  and  made  for 
her  necklaces  and  bracelets  of  fine  pearls,  and 
gathered  for  her  every  day  pretty  shell-fish  and 
the  most  beautiful  and  rarest  sea-plants.  In 
spite  of  all  this,  Mona  was  weary,  and  wanted  to 
return  to  the  earth  to  see  once  more  her  island, 
and  her  father  and  mother  in  their  little  hut  by 
the  seashore.  The  fairy  would  not  let  her  go, 
for  he  feared  she  would  never  return.  Then  she 
became  very  sad,  and  did  nothing  but  weep  night 
and  day.  Seeing  this,  her  husband  said  to  her 
one  day, — 

"Smile  on  me  a  little,  and  I  will  take  you  back 
to  your  father's  house." 

Mona  smiled,  and  the  fairy,  who  was  also  a 
magician,  then  said, — 

"Bridge,  rise  up!" 

And  immediately  a  beautiful  bridge  rose  up, 
reaching  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  to  the  land. 
The  old  fairy,  seeing  this,  and  feeling  sure  that 
his  son  knew  well  as  he  did  himself  how  to  use 
magic,  said, — 

"I  should  like  to  go  with  you  also." 

The  three  went  together  on  the  bridge,  the  old 
man  behind,  and  the  other  two  a  few  steps  in  ad- 
vance of  him.  But  as  soon  as  the  young  fairy 
stepped  ashore  with  his  wife,  he  turned  and 
said, — 


THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  EARTH     229 

"Bridge,  return!" 

And  immediately  the  bridge  went  back  again 
to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  with  it  the  old  fairy, 
who  was  still  on  it. 

The  fairy  not  being  able  to  accompany  his  wife 
to  her  father's  house,  let  her  go  alone,  giving  her 
the  following  precautions  before  leaving  her: — 

"Come  back  at  sunset,  and  you  will  find  me 
here  waiting  for  you  ;  but  do  not  let  any  man  em- 
brace you,  or  even  take  your  hand,  or  you  will 
make  me  very  unhappj^." 

Mona  promised,  and  hastened  to  her  father's 
house,  which  was  not  far  off  on  the  shore.  It  was 
the  dinner  hour,  and  all  the  family  were  assem- 
bled. 

"Good  morning,  father  and  mother;  good 
morning,  brothers  and  sisters,"  said  she  as  she  en- 
tered the  poor  hut. 

The  good  people  opened  their  eyes  wide,  and 
looked  at  her,  astonished,  and  none  of  them  rec- 
ognized her  for  their  daughter  or  their  sister. 
She  was  so  "beautiful,  so  grand,  and  so  well 
dressed!  This  grieved  her  very  much,  and  tears 
came  into  her  eyes  ;  then  she  began  to  go  around 
the  house,  touching  each  object  with  her  hands, 
and  saying, — 

"Here  is  the  little  stool  on  which  I  sat  beside 
the  fire;  here  is  the  bed  where  I  slept;  here  is 
the  pitcher  with  which  I  brought  water  from  the 


23o  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

spring;  here  is  the  broom  with  which  I  swept  the 
house;  here  is  the  wooden  porringer  from  which 
I  ate  n^  soup." 

At  last  her  brother,  hearing  all  this,  recognized 
her,  and  threw  himself  on  her  neck  to  'embrace 
her,  and  her  father  and  mother  and  sisters  did 
the  same  thing;  but  from  that  moment  Mona  lost 
entirely  all  recollection  of  her  husband,  the  fairy, 
and  his  home  under  the  sea.  She  remained  with 
her  parents,  and  soon  plenty  of  lovers  came  to 
the  house  to  sue  for  her  hand  ;  but  she  would  not 
listen  to  any  of  them,  and  had  no  desire  to  many. 

This  family,  like  the  other  inhabitants  of  the 
island,  had  a  bit  of  ground  where  they  planted 
potatoes  and  sowed  barley,  and  this,  together 
with  the  daily  supply  of  fish  and  shell-fish  which 
they  caught  out  of  the  sea,  was  sufficient  for  them 
to  live  simply  but  contentedly. 

There  was  a  little  space  before  the  house  con- 
taining a  stack  of  barley  straw.  Often  when  she 
was  lying  in  bed,  and  the  winds  howled,  and  the 
waves  dashed  and  broke  against  the  rocks  on  the 
shore,  Mona  thought  she  heard  plaintive  moan- 
ings  near  her  door  ;  but  she  believed  it  to  be  poor 
shipwrecked  souls  asking  for  the  prayers  of  the 
careless  living  beings,  and  she  recited  a  "De 
profundis;"  then  she  pitied  the  poor  sailors  who 
were  in  the  sea,  and  went  to  sleep  again. 

But  one  night  she  heard  distinctly  these  words, 
uttered  in  a  sad,  heart-broken  voice  : — 


THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  EARTH     231 

"Oh,  Mona!  have  you  then  forgotten  your  hus- 
band, the  fairy  who  loves  you  so  much,  who  saved 
you  from  death,  and  brought  you  back  from  the 
depths  of  the  sea  to  see  your  father  and  mother, 
your  brothers  and  sisters?  You  promised  me  so 
faithfully  to  come  back  again;  I  have  been  wait- 
ing for  you  so  long  and  I  am  so  unhappy  with- 
out you!" 

Then  Mona  recollected  everything  all  at  once. 
She  rose  up  hastily,  set  out  and  found  the  fairy, 
who  was  lamenting  thus  near  the  stack  of  barle}^ 
straw.  She  threw  herself  into  his  arms,  and  since 
then  she  has  never  been  seen. 

This  story  is  taken  from  an  article  entitled  "A  Voyage 
to  the  Island  of  Ouessant,"  published  in  the  "Revue  de 
France,"  March  and  April,  1874. 

F.  M.  Luzel. 


SISTER  AND  HALF-SISTER 

A   MULHOUSE    STORY 

NCE  there  was  a  woman  who  had  two 
daughters  :  one  was  her  husband's  daugh- 
ter by  his  first  marriage,  and  the  other 
was  her  own  child.  One  day  when  the  half-sis- 
ter was  spinning  by  the  well,  her  spindle  fell  into 
the  water  and  her  mother  beat  her  cruelly.  She 
went  back  to  the  well  and  was  trying  to  get  her 
spindle  out  again,  when  her  hard-hearted  mother 
gave  her  such  a  push  that  the  poor  girl  fell  into 
the  well. 

When  she  reached  the  bottom  she  found  a  large 
and  magnificent  garden.  As  she  was  walking 
along,  in  tears,  the  pear-tree  said  to  her, — 

"Young  girl,  why  are  you  crying  so?" 

The  young  girl  answered, — 

"Have  I  not  good  reason  to  cry?  My  step- 
mother gave  me  such  a  push  that  I  fell  into  the 
well." 

The  pear-tree  said, — 

"Young  girl,  hold  your  apron;  I  will  give  you 
some  pears."     And  the  young  girl  received  from 

him  the  most  delicious  pears. 

232 


SISTER  AND  HALF-SISTER         233 

Afterwards  she  came  to  a  plum-tree  ;  the  plum- 
tree  said  to  her, — 

"Young  girl,  why  are  you  crying  so  ?" 

The  young  girl  answered, — 

"Have  I  not  good  reason  to  cry?  My  step- 
mother gave  me  such  a  push  that  I  fell  into  the 
well." 

The  plum-tree  said  to  her, — 

"Hold  your  apron;  I  will  give  you  some 
plums"  ;  and  he  shook  into  her  lap  the  most  beau- 
tiful plums.  And  the  good  little  girl  was  treated 
in  the  same  way  by  the  other  trees. 

At  last  she  came  to  a  grand  castle  all  of  gold, 
and  she  was  still  shedding  bitter  tears.  A  fair 
lady  was  looking  out  at  the  window;  she  asked 
her, — 

"Young  girl,  why  are  you  crying?" 

"Have  I  not  good  reason  to  cry?  My  step- 
mother gave  me  such  a  push  that  I  fell  into  the 
well." 

"Come  now,"  said  the  lady,  "you  can  spend 
the  night  with  me;  but  first  tell  me,  where  do 
you  prefer  to  eat — with  the  little  dog  and  the 
little  cat,  or  with  the  gentleman  and  lady?" 

The  young  girl  answered  modestly,— 

"With  the  little  dog  and  the  little  cat.  I 
should  not  like  to  me  in  any  one's  way." 

And  on  this  account  they  permitted  her  to  eat 
with  the  lady  and  gentleman. 


234  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

The  lady  said  to  her, — 

"Where  do  you  prefer  to  sleep — with  the  little 

dog  and  the  little  cat,  or  with  the  gentleman  and 

lady?" 

The  young  girl  answered, — 

"With  the  little  dog  and  the  little  cat." 

And  accordingly  they  permitted  her  to  sleep 

with  the  gentleman  and  lady. 

The  next  day  the  lady  said  to  her, — 

"How  would  you  prefer  to  be  driven  back  to 

your  home? — in  a  carriage  smeared  with  pitch 

and  resin,  or  in  one  all  of  silver  and  gold?" 
The  young  girl  answered, — 
"In  one  smeared  with  pitch  and  resin." 
But  she  was  allowed  to  return  in  a  carriage  of 

silver  and  gold. 

When  she  arrived  at  home,  her  half-sister,  who 

was  looking  out  of  the  window,  began  to  clap  her 

hands  and  cry  out, — 

"O  !  Bidi  bidi  bourn! 
My  half-sister  comes, 
And  heavily  laden 
With  silver  and  gold. 
I  must  go  and  help  her  unload. 
O  !  Bidi  bidi  boum  !" 

When  the  wicked  mother  saw  that  the  half-sis- 
ter had  become  so  distinguished,  she  said  to  her 
own  child, — 

"Come  now,  Annette!  throw  your  spindle  also 


SISTER  AND  HALF-SISTER         235 

into  the  well  and  jump  in  after  it!  Who  knows? 
Perhaps  the  same  thing  will  happen  to  you  down 
there,  and  you  will  be  able  to  come  back  in  a 
golden  carriage." 

But  this  one  was  a  wicked  and  obstinate  child. 
Her  mother  had  scarcely  finished  speaking  before 
the  spindle  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  well,  and  the 
little  girl  leaped  after  it  and  came  into  the  large 
beautiful  garden  of  which  I  have  already  spoken. 
The  sun  shone  with  a  golden  brightness,  and  the 
roses  and  lilies — oh!  but  it  was  perfectly  splen- 
did! 

The  little  girl  went  to  the  pear-tree  and  said, — 

"Come  now,  give  me  some  pears  also!' 

But  she  waited  a  long  time,  and  the  pear- 
tree  did  not  move. 

She  went  a  little  farther  and  came  to  a  plum- 
tree,  and  said  to  it, — 

"Come,  plum-tree,  give  me  also  some  plums." 

But  it  gave  her  nothing,  that  is  what  the  plum- 
tree  did;  what  the  other  trees  did,  it  is  needless 
for  me  to  tell  you. 

The  fair  lady  was  again  looking  out  from  her 
palace  at  the  end  of  the  garden,  and  said, — 

"Young  girl,  where  are  you  going?  From 
whence  do  you  come?  What  does  your  little 
heart  long  for?" 

"I  wish  to  come  in,  I  wish  to  eat,  I  wish  to 
sleep  in  a  little  garden  bed,  and  I  wish  to  go 
back  again  in  a  little  golden  carriage." 


236  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

The  lady  could  scarcely  help  laughing,  but  she 
continued  her  questions: — 

"With  which  do  you  prefer  to  eat — with  dog 
and  cat,  or  with  lord  and  lady?" 

"Why,  with  lord  and  lady,  of  course." 

And  consequently  she  was  obliged,  as  a  punish- 
ment, to  eat  with  the  dog  and  cat. 

A  little  while  afterwards  the  lady  asked  her 
again, — 

"With  which  yould  you  like  best  to  sleep — 
with  the  dog  and  cat,  or  with  the  lord  and  lady?" 

"Why,  with  the  lord  and  lady,  of  course." 

But  who  was  obliged  to  sleep  with  the  dog  and 
cat  ?     It  was  my  wicked  little  girl. 

The  next  morning  when  she  got  up,  the  lady 
said  to  her, — 

"How  would  you  prefer  to  go  back  to  your 
home — in  a  carriage  smeared  with  pitch  and 
resin,  or  in  a  carriage  of  gold  and  silver?" 

"In  the  gold  carriage,  certainly,"  cried  she. 

But  for  punishment,  she  was  obliged  to  go  back 
again  in  the  carriage  smeared  with  resin. 

What  did  her  mother  say  when  she  saw  her 
child  return  in  the  carriage  smeared  with  pitch 
and  resin,  disgraced  and  scoffed  at,  and  what  did 
she  look  like  then?  Well,  I  should  like  to  tell 
you  about  it;  but  my  great-grandmother,  who 
was  so  good  as  to  tell  me  the  story,  was  losing  her 
memory,  and  could  not  remember  any  more. 

Auguste  Stoeber,  "Elsaessiches  Volksbiichlein." 


THE  FAIRIES'  SHIP 

A  sailors'  story 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was,  at  Saint- 
Cast,  a  young  captain  who  had  no  ship 
to  command.  He  made  application 
after  application.  He  went  to  see  the  ship-own- 
ers, and  offered  his  services  ;  but  although  he  was 
known  to  be  a  good  sailor,  he  had  no  command 
given  him.  One  day  when  he  had  been  again  at 
Saint-Malo,  without  being  more  successful  than 
at  other  times,  he  started  out  late,  and  on  foot,  to 
return  to  his  village  ;  and  when  night  came  on,  he 
was  not  far  from  the  wood  which  crossed  the  main 
road. 

"Ah!"  said  he,  "I  should  have  done  better  to 
stay  and  sleep  at  Saint-Malo;  for  I  shall  have  to 
go  through  the  wood  of  Pontual;  and  they  say 
that  after  nightfall  one  is  apt  to  encounter 
strange  things  there." 

He  quickened  his  pace  and  entered  the  wood; 
when  he  was  in  the  middle  of  it,  he  heard  a 
noise,  and  having  stopped  to  listen,  he  heard  a 
voice  which  cried,  "Help!  help!  save  me!" 

"Ah!"  thought  he,  "it  is  perhaps  some  one 
237 


238  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

whom  the  robbers  are  trying  to  kill;  but  it  shall 
never  be  said  that  I  left  any  creature  to  die  with- 
out trying  to  help  him." 

He  hastened  to  the  spot  from  which  the  cries 
came,  and  saw  a  good  woman  who  was  defending 
herself  as  well  as  she  could  against  five  men,  who 
were  trying  to  kill  her.  He  took  her  part,  and 
between  them  they  killed  the  robbers. 

When  they  had  gotten  out  of  the  wood,  the  old 
woman,  who  was  a  fairy,  said  to  him, — 

"Captain,  you  are  brave,  and  you  shall  be  re- 
warded for  it.  If  I  had  wished  I  could  easily 
have  killed  all  five  of  the  robbers,  for  I  have 
power  enough  for  that;  but  I  wanted  to  see  if 
you  were  courageous,  and  ready  to  help  poor 
people." 

Then  she  disappeared;  the  captain  continued 
his  journey,  and  reached  Saint-Cast  without  ac- 
cident. 

The  next  day  a  beautiful  lady,  whom  he  did 
not  know,  came  to  his  house,  and  said  to  him, — 

"I  am  the  good  woman  to  whose  assistance  you 
came  yesterday  in  the  wood  of  Pontual.  I  am  a 
fairy,  and  I  know  that  you  were  returning  from 
Saint-Malo,  where  you  had  vainly  applied  for  the 
command  of  a  ship.  It  is  needless  for  you  to 
make  any  more  applications.  I  will  give  you  the 
command  of  a  ship — a  splendid  one;  the  hand- 
somest that  ever  was  seen," 


THE  FAIRIES'  SHIP  239 

The  captain  thanked  the  lady  with  all  his  heart  ; 
then  he  invited  her  to  dine  with  him. 

When  the  meal  was  ended,  she  said  to  him, — 

"Now,  you  come  with  me;  I  am  one  of  the 
fairies  of  the  Cavern  of  Saint-Briac,  and  near  my 
grotto  you  will  see  your  ship." 

The  captain  followed  the  lady  ;  and  when  they 
reached  the  seashore,  she  took  him  by  the  hand, 
and  they  walked  together  over  the  waves,  as 
though  they  were  on  a  high-road;  the  water  did 
not  even  wet  the  soles  of  their  shoes.  They  ar- 
rived at  the  cavern,  and  the  fairy  showed  the 
captain  the  ship  she  had  designed  for  him.  The 
hull  was  all  of  gold,  the  masts,  also,  as  well  as  the 
yards  and  the  pulleys,  and  the  cordage  was  of 
twisted  threads  of  gold.  It  was  not  yet  quite 
ready;  and  the  goldsmiths  of  the  cavern  were 
busy  finishing  it. 

It  was  so  dazzling  that  the  captain  could 
scarcely  look  at  it. 

"When  will  it  be  finished,  this  beautiful  ship?" 
he  asked  of  the  fairy  who  had  brought  him  there. 

"Why  do  you  ask  me  that  question?" 

"So  as  to  have  time  to  get  up  a  crew  to  man 
the  ship  when  it  is  finished." 

"Do  not  be  disturbed,"  said  the  fairy;  "your 
crew  is  ready,  and  I  am  going  to  show  it  to  you." 

She  rubbed  some  salve  round  his  eyes;  imme- 
diately he  saw  at  least  thirty  little  male  fairies 


240  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

of  tiny  size,  who  were  dressed  like  admirals  ;  and 
she  «aid  to  him,  pointing  to  them  with  her 
finger, — 

"Captain,  these  are  the  little  men  who  will  be 
your  sailors.  In  three  days  the  ship  will  be 
ready  ;  you  can  set  out,  and  they  will  help  you  to 
manage  it,  for  they  are  good  sailors.  Mean- 
while, come  and  dine  with  me  and  the  other  in- 
habitants of  the  cavern." 

The  captain  followed  the  fairy.  She  led  him 
through  a  long  suite  of  apartments  bright  as 
gold  ;  and  at  last  they  came  to  a  great  hall,  where 
a  handsome  table  was  set.  Here  the  fairy 
women,  with  their  husbands  and  sons,  and  the 
tiny  male  fairies,  came  to  take  their  meals.  The 
captain  looked  out  of  the  window,  and  saw  in  a 
court-yard  some  of  the  male  fairies,  large  and 
small,  drilling  with  the  sword  and  bayonet. 

"Why,"  asked  he,  "are  they  drilling  in  this 
way? 

"They  are  our  soldiers,"  answered  the  fairy, 
"and  they  are  preparing  to  go  to  fight  with  the 
fairies  of  Chêlin,  who  have  declared  war  against 
us." 

When  the  fairy  men,  large  and  small,  had  fin- 
ished drilling,  they  made  playful  music  with  their 
swords  ;  then  every  one  went  into  the  hall  to  dine. 
That  day  there  was  a  great  feast  at  the  cavern; 
for  the  queen  of  the  fairies  had  just  given  birth 
to  a  boy,  and  they  celebrated  his  birth. 


THE  FAIRIES'  SHIP  241 

After  the  feast  was  over,  the  captain  proposed 
to  go;  the  fairy  who  had  brought  him,  and  who 
was  named  Gladieuse,  conducted  him  as  far  as 
the  door  of  the  grotto,  and  before  leaving  him, 
she  said  to  him, — 

"Here  are  some  boots  which  you  must  put  on 
to  cross  the  sea;  as  long  as  you  have  them  on, 
you  will  be  able  to  go  over  land  or  sea,  wherever 
you  wish.  To-morrow  you  must  return  here  to 
take  command  of  your  ship." 

The  captain  thanked  the  fairy;  then  having 
put  on  his  boots,  he  walked  over  the  waves  of  the 
sea  as  if  on  a  highway,  and  arrived  at  Saint-Cast. 
But  when  he  went  into  his  house  he  found  noth- 
ing there  ;  his  parents,  who  had  seen  him  cross  the 
sea,  believed  him  to  be  drowned,  and  they  had 
removed  his  furniture.  He  went  to  ask  them  for 
it,  but  they  took  him,  at  first,  for  a  ghost.  When 
he  had  convinced  them  that  he  was  a  man  of  flesh 
and  bone,  he  told  them  that  he  had  taken  com- 
mand of  a  ship.  He  made  them  a  present  of  his 
furniture;  then  after  having  embraced  hi-s  father 
and  mother,  he  went  away. 

He  proceeded  to  the  point  of  the  island,  and 
having  put  on  his  boots,  he  crossed  the  sea  with- 
out getting  wet.  His  ship  was  close  by  the  cav- 
ern, all  rigged  and  ready  to  set  sail.  He 
stepped  on  board,  and  the  fairy  Gladieuse,  who 
was  on  the  deck,  said  to  him, — 


242  FRENCH'  FAIRY  TALES 

"This  ship  will  sail  under  the  water,  as  well- 
as  on  it,  in  the  air  as  well  as  in  the  water,  just 
as  you  wish." 

Then  she  went  back  to  the  land,  and  the  sailors 
of  the  cavern  came  on  board;  immediately  the 
wind  swelled  out  the  sails,  and  the  ship  started 
off  like  lightning. 

It  sailed  as  fast  as  the  wind,  which  blew  always 
right  aft;  they  never  had  to  tack  about,  they 
never  had  head  winds,  and  there  was  no  need  of 
holding  the  helm  nor  of  hauling  in  the  sails;  a 
fairy  man,  who  was  unseen,  directed  everything 
as  he  wished.  At  the  end  of  a  fortnight  he 
steered  the  ship  into  a  port,  and  the  anchor  was 
immediately  thrown  out. 

The  port  was  in  an  island  where  fairy  men  and 
women  lived,  and  they  heartily  welcomed  the 
captain  and  his  crew. 

The  next  day  after  their  arrival  in  the  island, 
while  all  the  sailors  were  on  shore,  and  the  cap- 
tain was  alone  on  board,  the  fairy  man  appeared 
and  said  to  him, — 

"It  is  I,  who  by  my  will,  have  brought  your 
ship  into  this  port;  it  is  I  who  guided  it  here, 
and  you  had  no  trouble  in  steering  it,  because  the 
wind  was  always  right  aft.  Now  you  are  to  take 
on  board  some  fairy  men  to  help  us  fight  the 
fairies  of  Chêlin." 

"Very  well,  Mr.  Fairy;  I  shall  go  ashore  at 


THE  FAIRIES'  SHIP  243 

once  and  take  the  passengers  aboard  according  to 
your  orders." 

"As  soon  as  they  are  on  board,"  said  the  fairy 
man,  "you  must  set  sail  for  Saint-Briac;  but  I 
shall  leave  the  ship,  which,  hereafter,  will  sail 
only  under  your  own  command.  Here  is  a  little 
whistle  which  I  give  you;  as  soon  as  you  reach 
the  shore,  you  have  only  to  wistle,  and  immedi- 
ately your  sailors  and  the  faiiy  men  who  are  to 
take  part  in  the  war  will  come  on  board." 

The  captain  went  ashore  on  the  island,  and  as 
soon  as  he  had  blown  his  whistle,  five  hundred 
fairy  men,  and  the  thirty  tiny  fairies  that  he  had 
brought  with  him,  jumped  aboard.  In  less  than 
ten  minutes  the  ship  spread  her  sails  and  went 
out  of  the  port.  During  the  whole  voyage  he  had 
a  wind  right  aft,  and  in  less  than  three  weeks 
from  the  time  he  set  sail  he  arrived  at  Saint- 
Briac. 

The  five-hundred  fairy  men  disembarked,  and 
went  into  the  cavern,  where  they  were  well  re- 
ceived. Three  days  after  they  went  to  war 
against  the  fairies  of  Chêîin;  but  they  were  not 
the  stronger,  and  they  asked  for  peace. 

The  war  was  ended,  and  there  were  great  re- 
joicings at  the  cavern  and  at  Saint-Briac;  the 
captain  carried  the  fairy  men  back  to  their  is- 
land, then  he  went  to  Antwerp  to  take  a  load  of 
sea-coal  for  the  fairies.     They  were  very  much 


244  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

* 

pleased  with  him,  and  when  he  returned,  they 
paid  him  a  hundred  thousand  francs  for  his  voy- 
age. 

Two  days  after,  the  ship  stood  out  to  sea;  for 
three  whole  years  it  sailed  over  the  seas  without 
touching  at  any  land,  and  sometimes  they  were 
left  without  provisions;  but  then  the  captain 
made  use  of  the  ring  that  the  fairy  Gladieuse  had 
given  him,  and  he  obtained  as  much  of  everything 
as  he  needed. 

At  the  end  of  the  third  year  they  came  in  sight 
of  a  little  island,  and  the  captain  and  the  tiny 
fairy  sailors  went  ashore.  Among  the  trees 
there  were  fruits  of  every  kind;  the  brooks  were 
of  wine,  cider,  and  all  sorts  of  good  things  to 
drink,  and  the  ground  was  covered  with  precious 
stones  of  gold  and  with  diamonds.  The  tiny 
fairies  tasted  everything;  then  they  loaded  the 
ship  with  diamonds  and  precious  stones  of  gold. 
Just  as  they  were  ready  to  leave  they  saw  an  old 
fellow  coming,  so  old  that  he  looked  as  if  his  years 
numbered  a  thousand.  He  was  the  only  inhabi- 
tant of  the  island,  and  he  begged  them  to  take 
him  on  board  so  that  he  could  go  to  Saint-Briac. 

He  was  so  very,  very  ugly  that  the  captain 
himself  was  afraid  of  him  ;  and  he  was  right,  for 
it  was  a  demon.  As  soon  as  the  old  fellow  came 
on  board  he  tried  to  take  command  of  the  ship; 
but  the  captain  resisted  him  and  forced  him  to 
obey. 


THE  FAIRIES'  SHIP  245 

They  set  sail  again,  and  when  they  were  on  the 
broad  sea  they  were  attacked  by  pirates,  who  for 
a  long  time  had  been  chasing  the  golden  ship. 
At  least  two  hundred  of  them  leaped  aboard, 
and  the  old  demon  took  their  side;  but  the  tiny 
fairies  killed  them  all,  and  also  killed  the  devil. 
They  threw  the  dead  bodies  into  the  sea  ;  but  the 
pirates  who  were  left  on  their  ship  ordered  the 
powder  to  be  set  on  fire  so  as  to  blow  themselves 
up  with  the  golden  ship.  Then  the  captain 
said, — 

"By  the  power  of  my  ring,  let  my  ship  sail 
under  the  water  as  it  does  on  top  of  it." 

Immediately  the  ship  plunged  under  the  sea, 
and  the  pirates  could  not  do  it  any  harm. 

Since  that  time  the  demon,  to  whom  all  the 
race  of  fairies  was  subject,  and  who  was  coming 
to  Saint-Briac  to  punish  them,  having  been  cut 
to  pieces  by  the  tiny  fairies,  dare  not  command 
them  any  longer;  and  since  then  neither  fairy 
men  nor  women  belong  to  him  any  more. 

The  golden  ship  continued  its  voyage  and  re- 
turned to  the  Cavern  of  Saint-Briac.  The  fairy 
men  and  women  were  so  pleased  with  the  load 
that  the  captain  brought  them,  that  they  married 
him  to  the  fairy  Gladieuse,  and  he  lived  happily 
with  her  in  the  grotto. 

I  picked  up  this  story  at  the  little  port  of  Saint-Cast 
(Côtes-du-Nord). 

Paul  Sebillot. 


THE  SHEPHERD  WHO  WON  THE 

KING'S  DAUGHTER  BY  A 

SINGLE  WORD 

A   TALE   OF   LOWER    BRITANNY 

NCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  king  who 
never  told  a  single  lie  in  his  life.  As 
he  heard  the  people  about  his  court  con- 
stantly saying  to  each  other,  "That  is  not  true! 
You  are  a  liar,"  he  was  very  much  displeased; 
so  much  so  that  he  said  one  day, — 

"I  am  astonished  at  3^011;  a  stranger  who  should 
hear  you  speak  in  this  way  would  not  fail  to  say 
that  I  am  the  king  of  liars.  I  do  not  wish  to 
hear  any  more  such  language  in  my  palace.  He 
who  hears  me  say  to  any  one,  no  matter  who  he 
may  be,  'You  are  a  liar!' — well,  I  will  give  him 
the  hand  of  my  daughter." 

A  young  shepherd,  who  was  present  at  the 
time,  having  heard  these  words  of  the  king,  said 
to  himself,  "Good!  we  will  see  about  this." 

The  old  king  loved  to  hear  the  old  Giverziou 
and  the  new  Soniou  sung,  and  marvelous  tales 
told.  Often  after  supper  he  came  into  the 
kitchen,  and  took  pleasure  in  listening  to  the 
songs  and  stories  of  his  footmen.  Each  one  sang 
or  related  something  in  turn. 


THE  KING'S  DAUGHTER  247 

"And  you,  young  shepherd,  do  you  know  noth- 
ing?" said  the  king  one  evening. 

"Oh,  yes!  my  king,"  answered  the  shepherd. 

"Let  us  see  what  you  know,  then." 

And  the  shepherd  told  what  follows  : — 

"One  da}T,  as  I  was  going  through  a  wood,  I 
saw  an  enormous  hare  coming.  I  had  in  my 
hand  a  ball  of  wax;  I  threw  it  at  the  hare,  and 
struck  it  just  in  the  middle  of  the  forehead,  where 
it  stuck.  Then  the  hare  ran  faster  than  ever 
with  the  ball  of  wax  on  its  forehead.  He  met 
another  hare  which  was  coming  from  an  opposite 
direction;  they  struck  against  each  other's  fore- 
heads and  stuck  together  so  that  they  could  not 
get  apart,  and  thus  I  caught  them  very  easily. 
How  do  you  like  that,  sire?" 

"Very  much,"  answered  the  king;  "but  go 
on. 

"Before  coming  to  your  court  as  a  shepherd, 
sire,  I  was  a  miller's  boy  in  my  father's  mill,  and 
I  went  every  day  with  an  ass  to  carry  the  flour 
to  the  customers.  One  day  I  had  such  a  load  on 
my  ass  that,  upon  my  word,  his  spine  broke!" 

"Poor  beast!"  said  the  king. 

"Then  I  went  to  a  hedge  nearby,  and  with 
my  knife  I  cut  a  hazel-stick,  which  I  stuffed  into 
the  body  of  my  ass  to  take  the  place  of  its  spine. 
Then  the  animal  got  up  and  carried  its  load 
gently  along  to  its  destination  as  if  no  harm  had 


248  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

happened  to  it.  What  do  you  say  to  that,  sire?" 
"That  is  very  good;  and  what  next?" 
"The  next  morning  I  was  very  much  aston- 
ished (for  it  was  then  the  month  of  December) 
to  see  that  branches,  leaves,  and  even  hazel-nuts 
had  grown  upon  the  hazel-stick  ;  and  when  I  took 
my  ass  out  of  the  stable,  the  branches  continued 
to  grow  up  so  very,  very  high  that  they  reached 
up  to  the  sky." 

"That  is  first-rate!"  said  the  king;  "but  what 
happened  after  that?" 

"Seeing  that,  I  began  to  climb  from  branch 
to  branch  on  the  hazel-tree,  so  high  and  so  safely 
that  at  last  I  reached  the  moon." 

"That  is  first-rate,  first-rate!  but  go  on." 
"There  I  saw  some  old  women  who  were  win- 
nowing oats  from  the  chaff  and  straw,  and  I 
stopped  to  look  at  them.  But  I  soon  got  tired 
of  looking  at  these  old  women,  and  wanted  to 
descend  to  the  earth  again.  Rut  my  ass  had  gone 
away,  and  I  could  no  longer  find  the  hazel-tree 
by  which  I  had  climbed  up.  What  was  to  be 
done?  Then  I  went  to  work  to  tie  the  oat  straw 
together,  head  to  head,  so  as  to  make  a  cord  b}r 
which  I  could  go  down." 

"This  is  certainly  first-rate!"  said  the  king; 
"and  what  next?" 

"Unfortunately  my  cord  was  not  long  enough; 
it  was  too  short  by  thirty  or  forty  feet,  so  that  I 


THE  KING'S  DAUGHTER  249 

fell  on  a  rock  head-foremost,  and  so  heavily  that 
my  head  sank  down  into  the  rock  as  far  as  my 
shoulders." 

"That  is  first-rate,  first-rate;  and  what  next?" 

"I  struggled  so  vigorously  and  successfully 
that  my  body  became  detached  from  my  head, 
which  latter  remained  buried  in  the  rock.  I  ran 
at  once  to  the  mill  to  find  an  iron  crow-bar,  with 
which  to  pry  my  head  out  of  the  rock." 

"Better  and  better!"  said  the  king;  "but  what 
next?" 

"When  I  returned,  there  was  an  enormous 
wolf  that  also  wished  to  pull  my  head  out  of  the 
rock,  in  order  to  eat  it!  I  gave  him  a  blow  on 
the  back  with  my  crow-bar,  but  such  a  very,  very 
heavy  one,  that  a  letter  flew  out  of  him!" 

"Oh!  a  better  one  than  that  could  not  be  told!" 
cried  the  king;  "but  what  was  written  on  that 
letter?" 

"On  that  letter,  my  king,  with  all  due  respect 
to  you,  was  written  that  your  father  had  formerly 
been  mill  boy  at  my  grandfather's  mill." 

"It's  a  lie,  you  young  rascal!"  cried  the  king, 
immediately  rising  up,  furious. 

"Holloa,  sire;  I  have  won!"  said  the  shepherd 
quietly. 

"How  is  that?     What  have  you  won?" 

"Did  not  you  say,  my  king,  that  you  would 
willingly  give  the  hand  of  the  princess,  your 


250  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

daughter,  to  the  first  one  who  would  make  you 
say,  'That  is  a  lie,'  or  'You  are  a  liar'  ?" 

"It  is  true,"  replied  the  king,  growing  calmer; 
"I  did  say  so.  A  king  should  always  keep  his 
word  ;  therefore  your  betrothal  to  my  only  daugh- 
ter shall  be  celebrated  to-morrow,  and  the  wed- 
ding in  a  week!" 

And  thus  it  was  that  the  shepherd  won  the 
king's  daughter  by  a  single  word. 

F.  M.  Luzel,  "Archives  des  Missions  Scientifiques." 


I   GAVE   HiM   A   BLOW   ON   THE    BACK  WITH    MY  CROW-BAR. 


THE  ENCHANTED  RING 

A    CORSICAN    STORY 

EFORE  the  invasion  of  the  Saracens  there 
were  six  brothers  and  their  sister  who 
were  very,  very  poor;  their  parents  were 
sick  and  not  able  to  work.  One  day  when  they 
had  been  hunting  for  chestnuts  in  the  neighbor- 
ing wood  and  had  scarcely  been  able  to  find  any, 
the  smallest  said  to  his  brothers, — 

"I  want  to  go  out  into  the  world  to  see  if  I  can 
make  a  fortune.  At  the  end  of  the  week  I  will 
come  back  to  tell  you  what  has  happened  to 
me." 

And  the  little  brother  went  away.  He  trav- 
eled for  several  days,  and  at  last  he  saw  a  small 
house  in  the  midst  of  a  forest. 

"At  last,"  said  he  to  himself,  "I  shall  be  able 
to  rest  myself  a  few  moments  and  eat  a  piece  of 
bread." 

Tap!  tap! 

"Who  is  there?" 

"It  is  I." 

Seeing  it  was  a  man,  the  mistress  of  the  house, 
who  was  a  fairy,  dropped  her  ring  as  if  by  mis- 
take. 

251 


252  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

The  little  brother  saw  it  and  put  it  on  his  fin- 
ger, saying  — 

"Ah!  what  a  beautiful  ring!" 

But  immediately  his  body  was  covered  with 
hairs,  two  horns  grew  out  from  him,  his  ears  be- 
came long,  and  his  two  hands  were  changed  into 
the  feet  of  a  goat. 

In  fact,  he  was  altogether  changed  into  a  goat. 

"Baa!  baa!  baa!"  said  the  little  brother;  but 
nothing  could  bring  him  back  to  his  original 
shape. 

The  fairy  tied  him,  put  him  down  in  the  cellar  ; 
and  gave  him  some  very  fresh  grass. 

Seeing  that  their  brother  did  not  come  back, 
the  other  five  wished  to  go  and  look  for  him. 

They  started  out  one  after  the  other  ;  but  when 
they  reached  the  fairy's  house,  they  each  put  on 
the  ring  that  she  threw  to  them,  and  all  shared 
their  youngest  brother's  fate. 

The  sister  wanted  to  go  too. 

She  was  beautiful  and  well  formed,  with  blue 
eyes  and  black  hair;  her  name  was  Milia. 

As  she  was  going  along,  the  little  sister  came 
upon  a  large  bird  caught  in  a  bush  ;  it  could  not 
get  out  in  spite  of  all  its  efforts. 

The  young  girl  took  her  knife,  cut  off  the 
briers  and  set  free  the  bird,  which  flew  away,  say- 
ing— 

"Thanks,  thanks,  Milia;  thanks,  thanks, 
Milia." 


THE  ENCHANTED  RING  253 

The  latter  continued  her  journey;  as  night 
came  on,  she  sat  down  under  a  tree  to  eat  a  piece 
of  bread. 

As  she  was  making  her  frugal  meal,  she  saw 
a  poor  old  woman  coming,  who  could  scarcely 
drag  herself  along. 

Milia  ran  to  meet  her,  saying  to  her, — 

"My  good  mother,  lean  on  me;  come  rest  your- 
self a  moment  and  have  part  of  the  small  quan- 
tity of  bread  that  I  have  left." 

Milia  had  scarcely  uttered  these  words  when 
she  was  completely  dazzled.  The  old  woman 
was  changed  suddenly  into  a  beautiful  fairy, 
adorned  with  a  lovely  necklace  of  fine  pearls, 
and  dressed  in  a  magnificent  robe  of  blue  and 
rose-color,  all  embroidered  with  gold. 

"What  do  you  wish  for?  I  am  powerful;  ask, 
and  it  shall  be  granted  you." 

"I  wish  to  know  where  my  brothers  are;  are 
they  dead  or  alive?" 

"Your  brothers  are  living,  but  it  will  be  very 
difficult  for  you  to  recognize  them.  To  find 
them  you  have  only  to  go  on  straight  before  you. 
They  are  shut  up  in  the  first  house  that  you  will 
find  on  your  way." 

"Thanks,  good  fairy." 

And  Milia  set  out. 

After  having  walked  hours  and  hours,  the 
little  sister  saw  a  house. 


254  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"This  is  where  they  are,  doubtless,"  she 
thought,  and  she  walked  more  rapidly. 

Milia  was  not  more  than  fifty  paces  from  it 
when  the  wicked  fairy  saw  her. 

She  threw  out  her  ring  quickly. 

But  a  large  bird  flew  by  and  carried  it  off  in 
its  beak. 

It  was  the  bird  that  the  young  girl  had  set  free. 

Tap!  tap! 

"Come  in." 

Milia  entered. 

"Sit  down  a  moment,  while  I  go  to  find  you 
something  to  eat;  you  must  be  tired,"  said  the 
old  woman  to  her;  then  she  went  out. 

Then  the  bird  came  and  tapped  at  the  window. 

"Milia,  take  nothing  from  that  wicked  old 
woman,  or  you  will  be  turned  to  stone.  Your 
brothers,  changed  to  goats,  are  shut  up  in  the 
cellar." 

The  old  fairy  came  in  at  that  moment. 

"Here,  eat  a  piece  of  this  cake  and  drink  a 
little  of  this  exquisite  wine." 

"Thanks,  madam;  I  am  neither  hungry  nor 
thirsty." 

"What,  after  such  a  long  journey?" 

"I  do  not  want  anything;  if  you  wish  to  please 
me,  let  me  sleep  quietly  in  this  corner." 

"Make  yourself  comfortable,  my  poor  child." 

However,  the  fairy  thought, — 


THE  ENCHANTED  RING  255 

"This  little  one  must  not  escape  me  ;  I  wish  to 
have  her  at  all  hazards." 

And  she  went  for  a  necklace  of  gold  and  robes 
changeable  as  the  sky. 

"Since  you  will  not  accept  anything  to  eat, 
take  these  things,  at  least  ;  for  it  must  not  be  said 
that  any  one  rests  at  my  house  without  taking 
away  some  token  of  my  good  will." 

"What  do  you  wish  a  poor  girl  to  do  with  all 
these  wonderful  things?  Robes  and  necklace 
would  soon  be  torn  up  among  the  bushes  through 
which  I  must  pass." 

Seeing  that  all  her  designs  were  baffled,  the 
perfidious  fairy  stretched  «herself  on  her  bed,  and 
slept  soundly. 

The  bird  came  again  and  tapped  at  the  win- 
dow. 

"Milia,  wake  up!  wake  up,  Milia!" 

"What  do  you  want?" 

"Kill  that  wicked  fairy,  or  she  will  soon  find 
means  to  destroy  you.  Then  take  the  chemise 
that  she  wears,  put  it  on  yourself,  and  you  will 
possess  her  magic  power." 

Milia  got  up  softly,  and  taking  a  knife  which 
was  on  the  table,  killed  the  wicked  old  woman; 
then  she  undressed  her,  took  her  chemise  and  put 
it  on  herself. 

Her  mind  was  enlightened  in  a  moment.  A 
number  of  things  which  she  had  thought  impene- 


256  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

trable   mysteries   were    now    explained   to   her. 

Before  trying  her  power,  Milia  went  over  the 
whole  house.  In  a  hall  were  a  number  of  statues, 
two  of  which  were  in  a  niche.  They  were  a  king 
and  queen  laid  under  a  spell  by  the  magician. 

Then  Milia  went  down  into  the  cellar.  There 
she  saw  six  goats,  extremely  emaciated,  though 
they  had  an  abundance  of  food. 

"Ah,  poor  beasts!  and  to  think  they  are  my 
brothers  !" 

And  Milia,  good  sister  that  she  was,  began  to 
cry.  She  would  have  restored  them  to  their  orig- 
inal shape  at  that  moment,  but  she  did  not  know 
how  to  manage  it. 

Happily,  she  remembered  that  on  the  fairy's 
chemise  was  written, — 

"Chemise,  chemise,  until  death. 
Obey  me  in  everything." 

Milia  repeated  these  words,  then  thought, — 

"Chemise,  chemise,  cause  these  goats  to  be- 
come men  again  as  they  were  before!" 

And  immediately  the  goats  lost  their  hair,  their 
horns  fell  off,  and  their  feet  were  changed  into 
the  two  hands  and  feet  of  a  man. 

Imagine  Milia's  joy!  She  threw  herself  on 
her  brothers'  necks,  for  she  knew  them  at  once; 
and  for  a  long  time  they  embraced  each  other 
joyfully. 


THE  ENCHANTED  RING  257 

"Where  is  the  old  fairy  who  changed  us  to 
beasts?" 

"She  is  dead;  and  I  have  all  her  power." 

"How  did  it  happen?  In  what  does  this 
power  reside?" 

"I  cannot  tell  you  my  secret.  I  am  going  now 
to  set  free  all  those  who  are  in  the  castle." 

This  was  quickly  done. 

The  king  and  the  queen  and  all  the  other  per- 
sons thanked  Milia  very  much,  as  you  may  sup- 
pose. They  wished  to  bestow  castles  and  villas 
on  her;  but  she  refused  them  all.  Had  she  not 
the  fairy's  chemise  to  put  her  in  possession  of  all 
that  she  desired? 

By  means  of  her  magic  power  the  young  girl 
made  handsome  carriages  come  up  out  of  the 
ground,  and  distributed  them  among  all  those 
who  were  there,  so  that  they  could  return  to  their 
homes. 

She  bestowed  one  of  them  upon  herself,  and 
harnessed  to  it  two  beautiful  horses  as  fleet  as 
the  wind. 

Thus  she  went  back  to  the  home  of  her  par- 
ents, who  were  amazed  to  see  her  with  her  broth- 
ers in  such  an  equipage. 

"Ah!  our  daughter  has  a  fortune,"  said  they 
to  themselves. 

And  they  were  happy. 

Unfortunately,  the  chemise  became  so  very, 


258  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

very  dirty  that  one  day  Milia  wanted  to  have  it 
washed. 

It  was  spread  in  the  sun  to  dry. 

A  tramp  saw  it,  seized  upon  it,  and  ran  away. 

They  sought  for  it  a  long  time  in  vain;  they 
could  never  find  it. 

Milia  died  in  despair  at  having  lost  the  pre- 
cious chemise  from  which  she  derived  all  her 
power. 

As  for  her  brothers,  who  went  in  search  of  the 
thief,  nothing  more  was  heard  of  them.  If  I 
learn  anything  about  them,  you  may  be  sure  I 
will  tell  you  of  it. 

Ortoli,  "Contes  de  l'ile  de  Corse." 


THE  SIREN  OF  LA  FRESNAYE 

A    STORY   OF   UPPER   BRITANNY 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  in  the  woods 
of  the  isle  of  Aval,  in  the  parish  of 
Saint-Cast,  a  wooden-shoe  maker,  who 
lived  with  his  wife  and  two  children  in  a  poor 
little  mud  hut  which  he  had  built  himself  by  the 
seashore,  just  at  the  end  of  the  valley.  There 
are  those  who  say  that  the  ruins  of  it  may  still 
be  seen;  but  that  is  hardly  credible,  for  it  is  a 
long  time  since  then,  and  usually  the  cabins  of 
wooden-shoe  makers  do  not  last  very  long. 

They  were  not  rich;  for  they  had  only  their 
work  to  live  on  ;  and  you  know  wooden-shoe  mak- 
ers rarely  buy  small  farms.  The  husband  dug 
out  the  wooden  shoes,  his  wife  helped  him  as  well 
as  she  could,  and  the  little  boy  and  girl,  who  were 
not  large  enough  to  work  in  the  wood,  went  every 
day  to  fish  along  the  shore. 

One  day  when  the  little  boy  was  fishing  among 
the  rocks,  he  heard  suddenly  a  sweet,  musical 
songs,  and  looking  in  the  direction  from  which  it 
seemed  to  come,  he  saw  the  Siren,  who  was  sing- 
ing as  she  swam  among  the  waves;  and  around 

259 


26o  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

her  the  sea  was  so  brilliant  that  it  dazzled  you 
to  look  at  it. 

He  ran  very  quickly  to  the  cabin  where  his 
father  was  working. 

"Ah,  papa!"  said  he  to  him,  "do  come  and  see! 
there  is  a  fish  in  the  bay  of  Port-au-Moulin  more 
beautiful  than  any  I  have  ever  seen;  it  sings,  and 
it  shines  like  gold!" 

"Like  fire,  papa,"  added  the  little  girl,  who  had 
seen  it  also. 

The  wooden-shoe  maker  and  his  wife  hastened 
to  follow  their  children;  but  when  they  reached 
the  shore,  the  Siren  had  disappeared;  they  saw 
nothing  on  the  sea  and  heard  no  singing. 

"It  was  nothing,"  said  the  mother;  "the  chil- 
dren dreamed  it  all." 

But  the  wooden-shoe  maker  was  not  so  incred- 
ulous as  his  wife.  The  next  morning  he  said  to 
the  children, — 

"Go  back  again  to  the  edge  of  the  water,  and 
watch  attentively  to  see  if  the  beautiful  singing 
fish  will  show  herself  again." 

The  little  boy  went  out;  but  as  soon  as  he  had 
gone  a  few  steps  from  the  cabin  he  ran  back,  cry- 
ing out, — 

"Ah,  papa!  the  beautiful  fish  has  returned; 
you  can  hear  it  sing  from  here." 

When  they  went  outside,  they  heard  a  delicious 
music  in  the  distance;  and  they  hastened  to  go 


THE  SIREN  OF  LA  FRESNAYE     261 

to  the  seashore,  where  they  saw  the  Siren,  who 
sang  as  she  played  about  on  the  waves,  and  leaped 
sometimes  more  than  three  feet  above  the  water. 

"It  is  not  an  ordinary  fish,"  said  the  wooden- 
shoe  maker;  "it  looks  like  a  human  being." 

"Ah!"  said  his  wife,  "we  must  get  the  lines; 
perhaps  you  can  catch  it.  I  should  like  very 
much  to  see  it  close  by." 

They  all  went  to  work  to  get  the  lines  ready: 
and  when  the  sea  was  high,  they  set  them;  but  in 
vain.  They  put  the  choicest  bait  on  the  hook; 
the  singing  fish  did  not  come  to  take  it,  although 
they  saw  it  every  day. 

The  wooden-shoe  maker  thought  often  of  the 
wonderful  fish,  and  devised  means  to  possess  him- 
self of  it.  One  day  as  he  was  walking  on  the 
shore,  he  saw  the  Siren,  who,  cradled  by  the 
waves,  and  fast  asleep,  was  floating  at  a  short 
distance  from  the  shore.  He  went  into  the  water 
without  making  any  noise,  and  slipped  a  large 
basket  that  he  had,  under  her,  and  carried  her 
off  in  it  to  the  land  without  waking  her. 

She  was  about  the  size  of  a  child  of  eight  years. 
She  had  golden  hair  on  her  head,  and  her  white 
and  polished  body  resembled  that  of  a  woman; 
but  instead  of  feet  she  had  fins,  and  her  body 
ended  with  the  tail  of  a  fish. 

"Ah!"  said  the  wooden-shoe  maker,  as  he 
looked  at  her,  "my  little  brats  did  not  lie;  it  is 


2Ô2  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

really  the  most  curious  thing  that  ever  was  seen. 
It  is  doubtless  a  siren;  for  it  is  half  woman  and 
half  fish." 

He  made  these  reflections  on  his  way  back  to 
his  cabin,  and  he  had  almost  reached  it  when  the 
Siren  awoke  and  said  to  him, — 

"Ah,  wooden-shoe  maker!  5^ou  surprised  me 
while  I  was  asleep;  I  beg  you  to  take  me  back 
to  the  water,  now  that  you  have  seen  me  close, 
and  I  will  protect  you,  you  and  all  your  family, 
as  long  as  you  live." 

"No,"  answered  the  wooden-shoe  maker;  "I 
will  not  put  you  back  into  the  sea  ;  I  have  watched 
for  you  for  a  long  time,  and  so  have  my  wife  and 
children.  I  am  going  to  take  you  to  the  house 
so  that  they  can  see  you  ;  but  when  you  have  sung 
a  song,  if  my  wife  wishes,  I  will  carry  you  back 
to  the  place  from  which  I  took  you." 

He  called  his  wife,  who  was  named  Olérie,  and 
cried  to  her,— 

"Olérie,  come  here  and  see,  and  bring  the  chil- 
dren; I  have  the  singer  in  my  basket." 

The  good  woman  ran,  full  of  joy,  followed  by 
the  little  boy  and  girl,  and  began  to  examine  the 
Siren. 

"She  asks  to  be  taken  back  to  the  water,"  said 
the  wooden-shoe  maker;  "she  will  sing  you  a  song 
first.     Do  you  agree  to  that?" 

"No,"  she  answered;  "it  is  too  beautiful  a  fish; 
I  have  never  seen  one  like  it;  we  must  eat  it." 


THE  SIREN  OF  LA  FRESNAYE     263 

"Ah!"  said  the  Siren,  "if  you  feed  upon  my 
flesh,  if  you  feast  upon  my  fish,  you  will  never  eat 
anything  else  in  this  world,  for  you  will  perish. 
I  am  not  a  fish  like  the  others  ;  I  am  the  Siren  of 
Fresnaye,  and  your  husband  surprised  me  while 
I  was  sleeping.  Ask  of  me  what  you  will,  and  I 
will  grant  it,  for  I  have  the  power  of  a  fairy. 
But  make  haste  to  carry  me  back  to  the  sea,  and 
do  not  lose  any  time  ;  I  am  already  growing  weak 
and  I  shall  soon  die." 

"What  do  you  say  about  it?"  asked  Olérie  of 
her  husband. 

"If  you  consent  to  it,  I  am  very  willing  to  put 
her  back  into  the  sea;  it  would  be  a  shame  to  kill 
her,  she  is  so  pretty  and  has  never  done  any  harm 
to  any  one." 

They  each  took  hold  of  one  end  of  the  basket, 
and  carried  the  Siren  gently  to  the  sea,  and  let  her 
plunge  into  it  again  without  thinking  of  asking 
anything  of  her. 

When  she  felt  the  freshness  of  the  water,  she 
shouted  with  laughter,  for  joy  that  she  was  no 
longer  in  captivity,  and  she  said  to  the  wooden- 
shoe  maker, — 

"What  do  you  ask  of  me  now?" 

"I  ask,"  said  he,  "for  some  bread,  some  fish, 
and  clothing  for  my  wife  and  my  children." 

"You  shall  have  all  that  in  twenty-four  hours," 
said  the  Siren, 


264  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"I  should  like  very  well  also,"  added  he,  "if 
it  is  in  your  power,  to  have  a  little  money  to  pay 
my  master,  for  I  am  not  at  all  rich." 

The  Siren  did  not  make  any  reply,  but  she 
begun  to  flap  the  water  with  her  fins,  and  each 
time  that  she  struck  the  waves  they  flashed  up  in 
little  drops,  and  all  that  went  up  in  the  air  be- 
came gold  which  fell  down  at  the  feet  of  the 
wooden-shoe  maker.  The  shore  was  soon  cov- 
ered with  it  ;  then  she  became  still  and  said  to  the 
wooden-shoe  maker  and  his  wife, — 

"All  that  is  for  you,  good  people  ;  you  can  pick 
it  up." 

They  thanked  the  Siren,  who  went  off  singing; 
then  they  filled  their  pockets  with  gold  and  re- 
turned to  their  cabin  very  happy. 

When  the  twenty-four  hours  had  passed, 
Olérie  and  her  husband  returned  to  the  seashore 
to  look  for  the  clothing  that  the  Siren  had  prom- 
ised them.  They  heard  her  singing  in  the  dis- 
tance, and  soon  they  saw  her  glide  over  the  waves 
and  come  near  them,  always  singing  her  sweet 
and  melodious  song.  She  flapped  the  water  with 
her  fins;  a  large  wave  broke  into  foam  on  the 
strand,  and  rolled  back,  leaving  at  the  feet  of 
the  wooden-shoe  maker  a  very  large  and  tightly 
closed  chest.  Then  the  Siren  leaped  three  times 
out  of  the  water  and  said  to  the  wooden-shoe 
maker,— 


THE  SIREN  OF  LA  FRESNAYE     265 

"You  will  find  in  this  chest  what  I  promised 
you;  good-by,  till  I  see  you  again,  you  who  have 
been  so  good  to  me  !  When  you  want  some  fish, 
do  not  forget  this  shore." 

They  took  the  chest  away  with  them  to  their 
house;  it  contained  good  clothing  made  to  fit 
them  ;  and  every  time  that  they  or  their  children 
wanted  to  catch  fish,  they  went  to  the  seashore, 
and  in  a  few  moments  they  caught  an  abun- 
dance. 

For  a  whole  year  they  did  not  see  the  Siren; 
their  purse  grew  lighter  meanwhile,  and  the 
lighter  it  grew,  the  more  they  thought  of  the 
Siren.  They  often  went  to  the  seashore,  listen- 
ing and  hoping  to  hear  her  voice. 

One  day  they  heard  her  singing  in  the  distance  ; 
they  ran  at  once  to  the  shore,  and  were  very  glad 
to  see  her  gliding  over  the  waves  ;  all  along  where 
she  had  passed,  the  sea  gleamed  like  a  pathway 
of  fire. 

When  she  came  within  a  little  distance,  the 
wooden-shoe  maker  said  to  her, — 

"My  Siren,  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  again; 
if  you  will,  you  can  do  me  a  great  service,  for  I 
have  no  longer  either  bread  or  money." 

"I  will  give  you,"  said  the  Siren,  "enough  to 
fill  your  purse  again." 

After  saying  these  words,  she  unfolded  her 
fins,  and  beating  the  water  around  her,  she  sent 
to  the  shore  a  wave  of  gold  and  silver. 


266  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"With  that,"  said  she,  "you  can  buy  all  you 
need;  but  if  you  wish  to  keep  it,  use  it  well. 
Hereafter  you  will  see  me  no  more;  I  am  going 
to  leave  this  country  and  go  to  India." 

The  Siren  went  away  after  having  said  this; 
since  then  no  one  has  ever  seen  her,  or  heard  her 
sing  in  the  bay  of  Fresnaye. 

Paul  Sebillot,  "Contes  des  Paysans  et  des  Pêcheurs." 


ALL  THAT  WENT   UP  IN   THE  AIR    BECAME   GOLD. 


THE  LITTLE  HUNCHBACK 

A   LORRAINE   STORY 

ONCE  there  was  a  king  who  had  three 
sons;  but  he  treated  only  the  first  two 
as  his  sons:  the  youngest  was  a  hunch- 
back; only  his  mother  loved  him. 

One  day  the  king  called  the  oldest  to  him  and 
said  to  him, — 

"My  son,  I  should  like  to  have  the  water  which 
restores  youth." 

"My  father,  I  will  go  after  it." 

The  king  gave  him  a  beautiful  carriage  drawn 
by  four  horses,  and  as  much  gold  and  silver  as 
he  wanted,  and  the  young  man  started  on  his 
journey. 

He  had  gone  two  hundred  leagues  on  the  way, 
when  he  met  a  shepherd,  who  said  to  him, — 

"Prince,  my  handsome  prince,  would  you  help 
me  to  set  free  one  of  my  sheep  which  is  caught  in 
a  thicket?" 

"You  should  not  have  let  it  go  there,"  replied 
the  prince;  "I  have  no  time  to  lose." 

When  he  arrived  at  Pekin,  he  went  to  a  fine 

hotel,  had  his  horse  taken  out,  and  ordered  a  good 

267 


268  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

dinner.  He  soon  made  friends,  and  thought  no 
more  of  continuing  his  journey. 

At  the  end  of  six  months  the  king,  seeing  that 
he  did  not  return,  called  his  second  son,  and  asked 
him  to  go  and  seek  for  the  water  that  restored 
youth.  He  gave  him  a  handsome  carriage  drawn 
by  four  horses,  covered  with  pearls  and  diamonds. 
The  young  man  got  into  it  and  started  off.  After 
having  gone  two  hundred  leagues,  he  met  the 
shepherd,  who  said  to  him, — 

"Prince,  my  handsome  prince,  would  you  help 
me  to  set  free  one  of  my  sheep  which  is  caught  in 
a  thicket?" 

"For  whom  do  you  take  me?"  answered  the 
prince.     "You  should  not  have  let  it  go  there." 

He  arrived  at  Pekin,  where  he  lodged  in  the 
same  hotel  as  his  brother.  He  also  soon  made 
friends  and  did  not  think  of  going  any  farther. 
The  king  waited  a  year,  and  seeing  that  he  did 
not  return,  he  said  to  himself:  "I  have  no  more 
children!  Who,  then,  will  wear  my  crown?" 
He  thought  no  more  of  the  little  hunchback  than 
if  he  had  not  been  in  the  world. 

Meanwhile  the  latter  fell  sick.  They  sent  for 
a  physician;  the  young  prince  told  him  that  he 
was  ill  of  grief  seeing  that  his  father  did  not  love 
him,  and  that  he  wished  very  much  to  travel. 
The  physician  repeated  these  words  to  the  king, 
who  came  to  see  his  son. 


THE  LITTLE  HUNCHBACK         269 

"My  father,"  said  the  little  hunchback  to  him, 
"I  would  like  to  go  after  the  water  that  restores 
youth,  and  I  will  not  do  as  my  brothers  did;  I 
will  bring  it  back  with  me." 

"You  can  go  if  you  wish,"  said  the  king. 

He  gave  him  an  old  carriage  that  had  only 
three  wheels,  an  old  horse  that  had  only  three 
legs,  very  little  money, — though  the  queen 
added  something  to  that,- — and  the  prince  set  out. 

After  having  gone  two  hundred  leagues,  he 
met  the  shepherd,  who  said  to  him, — 

"Prince,  my  handsome  prince,  would  you  help 
me  to  set  free  one  of  my  sheep  which  is  caught  in 
a  thicket?" 

"Willingly,"  said  the  prince. 

And  he  helped  the  shepherd  to  set  free  his 
sheep.  When  he  had  gone  away,  the  shepherd, 
remembering  that  he  had  given  him  nothing  for 
his  trouble,  called  him  back  and  said  to  him, — 

"Prince,  I  forgot  to  reward  you.  Here,  take 
these  arrows;  all  that  these  arrows  pierce  will  be 
well  pierced.  Here  is  a  flageolet  ;  all  who  hear  it 
will  dance." 

The  prince  went  on  his  way  and  arrived  at 
Pekin.  When  he  passed  by  the  hotel  where  his 
brothers  lodged,  the  latter,  who  were  on  the  steps, 
were  ashamed  of  him  and  went  into  the  house. 
The  poor  little  hunchback  alighted  at  a  miserable 
inn,  where  he  unhitched  his  horse  himself;  then 


27o  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

he  took  with  him  a  guide  to  show  him  the  city. 
As  he  was  walking  along  he  saw  a  dead  man  who 
had  been  left  unburied. 

"Why  do  they  not  bury  this  man?"  asked  he. 

"Because  he  had  a  great  many  creditors  and 
could  not  pay  them." 

"If  they  were  paid  for  him,  would  they  have 
him  buried?" 

"Yes,  certainly." 

The  prince  sent  for  the  creditors,  paid  the  dead 
man's  debts,  and  gave  the  money  to  have  him 
buried.  After  that  he  continued  his  journey. 
One  day  a  good  old  woman  received  him  in  her 
little  house  and  gave  him  something  to  eat  and 
drink;  he  paid  her  generously  and  then  went  on 
farther. 

When  he  had  gone  two  hundred  leagues  more, 
he  found  that  all  his  money  was  gone  and  he  had 
no  longer  anything  to  eat.  His  horse  was  more 
fortunate  than  himself;  he  could  browse  a  little 
on  the  grass  along  the  road.  A  fox  passed  by; 
the  prince  was  about  to  let  fly  one  of  his  arrows 
at  him,  when  the  fox  cried  to  him, — 

"Wretch  !  what  are  you  going  to  do?  would  you 
kill  me?" 

The  prince,  seized  with  fright,  put  his  arrow 
back  into  the  quiver.  Then  the  fox  gave  him  a 
napkin  in  which  he  found  something  to  eat  and 
drink,  and  said  to  him, — 


THE  LITTLE  HUNCHBACK         271 

"You  are  looking  for  the  water  that  restores 
youth?  It  is  in  that  castle  very  far  below  there. 
The  castle  is  guarded  by  an  ogre,  by  tigers,  and 
by  lions.  To  reach  it,  it  is  necessary  to  cross  a 
river  ;  on  this  river  you  will  see  a  boat,  which  the 
same  man  has  steered  for  eighteen  hundred  years. 
Be  very  careful  to  enter  the  boat  feet  foremost; 
for  if  you  should  get  in  backwards,  you  would 
take  the  man's  place  forever.  When  you  reach 
the  castle,  do  not  allow  yourself  to  be  charmed 
by  the  magnificence  that  you  will  find  there. 
You  will  see  in  the  stables  mules  adorned  with 
plates  of  gold  :  take  the  ugliest  one  :  you  will  see 
also  two  green  birds  :  take  the  ugliest  one. 

The  prince  was  careful  to  enter  the  boat  feet 
foremost,  and  arrived  at  the  castle;  he  was  just 
going  to  take  the  mule  and  the  bird  when  the  orge 
came  in. 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  said  the  ogre  to 
him. 

The  prince  excused  himself,  bowed  to  him,  and 
asked  his  pardon.     The  ogre  said  to  him, — 

"I  will  not  eat  you;  you  are  too  thin." 

He  gave  him  something  to  eat  and  to  drink, 
and  the  prince  remained  at  the  castle,  where  he 
had  everything  he  wanted.  The  ogre  sent  him  to 
fight  his  enemies,  beasts  like  himself;  the  prince, 
thanks  to  his  arrows,  won  the  fight  and  brought 
back  the  skins.  He  fought  five  or  six  times  and 
was  always  conqueror. 


272  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

Now  there  was  in  the  castle  a  princess  whom 
the  ogre  wished  to  marry,  but  who  did  not  want 
him.  One  day,  when  the  prince  had  won  a  great 
fight,  he  took  a  notion  to  play  a  tune  on  his 
flageolet.  The  princess  was  at  table  with  the 
ogre  ;  as  they  heard  the  marvelous  flageolet,  they 
began  to  dance  together,  without  knowing  at  first 
whence  the  music  came.  When  the  ogre  saw 
that  it  was  the  prince  who  was  playing,  he  made 
him  come  to  the  table,  and  said  to  him, — 

"Ask  me  what  you  will;  I  will  grant  it." 

He  thought  surely  that  the  prince  would  ask 
of  him  permission  to  go  away. 

"I  ask,"  said  the  prince,  "for  what  is  most 
beautiful  here,  and  for  permission  to  go  over  the 
castle  three  times." 

The  orge  consented  to  it.  There  was  so  much 
gold  in  the  castle  that  they  did  not  know  what  to 
do  with  it;  but  the  prince  did  not  touch  it:  he 
took  the  uglier  of  the  two  green  birds,  and  the 
ugliest  mule,  which  stepped  seven  leagues  at  a 
time,  and  did  not  forget  a  vial  of  the  water  which 
restores  youth  ;  then  he  put  the  princess,  who  was 
a  party  to  the  whole  thing,  on  the  mule.  Instead 
of  going  over  the  castle  three  times,  he  only  went 
twice  and  ran  off  with  the  princess.  As  soon  as 
the  ogre  found  it  out,  he  went  in  pursuit  of  them, 
but  he  could  not  catch  them. 

The  young  man  met  the  fox  the  second  time; 
and  the  fox  said  to  him, — 


THE  LITTLE  HUNCHBACK         273 

"If  you  see  any  one  in  trouble,  be  sure  not  to 
help  them  out." 

A  little  farther  on,  he  was  very  kindly  received 
by  the  good  old  woman  in  her  little  house.  At 
last  he  arrived  at  Pekin  with  the  princess.  On 
one  of  the  squares  there  was  a  gallows  erected. 

"For  whom  is  that  gallows?"  asked  the  prince. 

He  was  told  that  it  was  for  two  young  stran- 
gers who  were  to  be  hung  that  day.  At  that 
moment  the  condemned  men  were  brought  out; 
he  recognized  his  brothers.  Lie  asked  what 
their  crime  was. 

He  was  told  that  they  had  contracted  debts 
which  they  were  not  able  to  pay. 

The  young  man  assembled  the  creditors,  paid 
them,  and  set  his  brothers  free  ;  then  they  set  out 
together  on  the  road  to  their  father's  kingdom. 
The  little  hunchback  had  given  the  mule  to  his 
oldest  brother;  to  the  other,  the  green  bird;  and 
the  water  which  restores  youth,  he  kept  for  him- 
self and  the  princess.  Still  his  brothers  were 
not  satisfied;  together  they  sought  out  oppor- 
tunities to  get  rid  of  him,  and  the  princess,  who 
saw  their  jealousy,  was  distressed  on  account 
of  it. 

One  day  as  they  were  passing  by  a  well  which 
was  three  hundred  feet  deep,  the  two  elder  broth- 
ers said  to  the  youngest, — 

"Look  at  that  beautiful  well!" 


274  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

And  as  he  leaned  over  to  look,  they  pushed  him 
in  and  carried  off  the  princess,  the  mule,  and  the 
bird.  When  they  arrived  at  the  castle,  the  prin- 
cess was  in  a  fainting  condition  ;  the  mule  and  the 
bird  were  dejected.  They  put  the  mule  in  an 
old  stable,  the  bird  in  an  old  cage.  The  water 
could  not  restore  the  king's  youth  :  they  put  it  in 
a  corner  among  the  old  rugs. 

Meanwhile  the  poor  prince  sent  up  loud  cries 
from  the  bottom  of  the  well;  the  fox  hastened 
to  him-  and  went  down  into  the  well. 

"I  charged  you  especially  not  to  help  any  one 
out  of  trouble.  However,  I  am  going  to  help 
you  to  get  out  of  this  place  ;  hold  fast  to  my  tail." 

The  young  man  did  as  he  was  told,  and  the  fox 
climbed  up  ;  he  had  almost  reached  the  top  when 
his  tail  broke,  and  the  young  man  fell  back  to  the 
bottom  of  the  well.  The  fox  tied  his  tail  on 
again,  rubbing  it  with  grease,  and  took  the  prince 
on  his  back.  Once  more  in  the  open  air,  he 
straightened  him  up,  and  the  young  man,  dis- 
burdened of  his  hunch,  became  an  elegant  prince. 

He  went  to  the  castle  of  the  king,  his  father, 
and  had  himself  announced  as  a  great  physician, 
saying  that  he  could  cure  the  king  and  the  prin- 
cess. At  first  he  went  into  the  stable;  at  once 
the  mule  took  on  a  handsome  hide  and  began  to 
neigh:  he  approached  the  bird;  it  resumed  its 
beautiful  plumage  and  began  to  sing.     He  gave 


THE  LITTLE  HUNCHBACK         275 

his  father  some  of  the  water  which  restores  youth  ; 
the  king  became  young  again  immediately  and 
got  up  out  of  his  sick-bed.  The  princess  was  re- 
stored to  health  as  soon  as  she  saw  the  young 
man.  Then  the  prince  made  himself  known  to 
his  father  and  told  him  what  had  happened  ;  then 
the  bird  spoke  in  its  turn  and  told  the  whole 
story  over  again. 

The  elder  sons  of  the  king  were  out  hunting. 
The  king  had  their  young  brother  concealed  be- 
hind the  door  ;  and  when  they  came  in,  he  said  to 
them, — 

"I  have  just  heard  of  a  strange  adventure 
which  took  place  in  one  of  the  cities  of  my  king- 
dom. Three  young  men  were  walking  together 
on  the  shore  of  the  lake  ;  two  of  them  threw  their 
companion  into  the  lake.  Give  Solomon's  judg- 
ment; what  punishment  do  these  men  deserve?" 

"They  deserve  death." 

"Miserable  creatures!  then  you  also  deserve  it. 
You  shall  not  be  thrown  into  the  water,  but  you 
shall  be  burned." 

The  sentence  was  executed.  Afterwards  they 
made  a  great  feast,  and  the  young  prince  married 
the  princess. 

Emmanuel  Cosquin,  "Contes  Populaires  Lorrains." 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  TRONKOLAINE 

A   STORY   OF   LOWER   BRITANNY 

ONCE  upon  a  time  there  was  a  poor  coal- 
man who  had  already  had  twenty-five 
children  baptized.  God  sent  him  the 
twenty-sixth,  and  he  set  out  to  look  for  a  god- 
father and  godmother  for  it.  He  saw  the  king 
pass  in  his  carriage,  and  knelt  down  in  the  mud 
to  greet  him.  The  king  threw  him  a  piece  of 
gold. 

"This  is  not  what  I  am  in  search  of  at  this 
moment,  although  I  am  in  great  need  of  it,"  said 
the  coal-man;  "I  want  a  godfather  for  the 
twenty-sixth  child  that  my  wife  has  just  pre- 
sented me." 

"Twenty-six  children,  my  poor  man!"  ex- 
claimed the  king.  "Ah  !  well  !  come  to  the  church 
to-morrow  with  your  child  and  a  godmother,  and 
I  will  be  the  godfather,  myself." 

The  coal-man  was  promptly  at  the  appointed 
place;  he  took  with  him  the  godmother,  and  the 
king  arrived  also  at  the  hour  agreed  upon. 

The   child   was   baptized,   and   named   Louis. 

The  godfather  gave  the  father  a  purse  full  of  gold 

and  told  him  to  send  his  son  to  school  when  he  was 

276 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  TRONKOLAINE     277 

ten  years  old.  He  gave  him  also  half  of  a  pla- 
tine, keeping  the  other  half  himself,  and  charg- 
ing him  to  give  it  to  his  son  when  he  should  have 
reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  to  bring  it  back  to 
him  at  his  court  at  Paris.  He  would  recognize 
him  by  this  sign.     Then  he  went  away. 

The  child  was  put  to  school  when  he  was  ten 
years  old,  and  as  he  was  intelligent,  he  made 
rapid  progress.  When  he  was  eighteen,  his 
father  gave  him  the  half -platine,  and  told  him  to 
go  and  take  it  to  his  godfather,  the  king  of 
France,  at  his  palace  in  Paris.  Until  then  he 
had  concealed  from  him  who  his  godfather  was. 
He  gave  him  also  one  of  his  horses,  a  jade  used 
for  hauling  coal,  and  the  young  man  set  out. 

As  he  was  going  along  a  long  and  narrow 
street,  he  met  a  little  old  woman,  bending  over 
her  stick,  who  said  to  him, — 

"Good  morning,  Louis,  godson  of  the  king  of 
France." 

"Good  morning,  grandmother,"  answered 
Louis,  astonished  at  being  known  to  the  old 
woman. 

"Almost  immediately,  my  child,"  said  the  lat- 
ter, "you  will  come  to  a  spring  by  the  roadside, 
and  you  will  see  some  one  there  who  will  invite 
you  to  get  down  from  your  horse  and  quench 
your  thirst;  do  not  listen  to  him,  but  go  on  your 
way." 


278  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Thanks,  grandmother,"  answered  the  young 
man.     And  he  passed  along. 

Sure  enough,  a  moment  after,  he  came  to  a 
spring  near  which  there  was  a  person  of  disagree- 
ahle  countenance,  who  cried  to  him,— 

"Come,  Louis!  stop  a  moment,  and  get  down 
from  your  horse." 

"I  have  not  time,"  answered  Louis;  "I  am  in 
a  hurry." 

"Come,  I  tell  you,  quench  your  thirst  at  this 
spring, — the  water  is  delicious, — and  converse 
a  little;  you  do  not  recognize  me,  then — one  of 
your  schoolmates?" 

Louis,  hearing  these  last  words,  got  down  from 
his  horse  ;  but  he  did  not  recognize  the  pretended 
schoolmate.  Nevertheless,  he  started  to  drink 
from  the  spring,  and  as  he  was  leaning  over  the 
water  to  drink  out  of  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  the 
other,  with  one  hunch  of  his  shoulder,  threw  him 
into  it;  then  he  took  away  his  half -platine, 
mounted  his  horse  and  departed.  Poor  Louis 
got  out  of  the  water  as  well  as  he  could  and  be- 
gan to  run  after  the  thief.  The  horse  was  old 
and  and  foundered,  so  that  at  last  he  overtook 
him,  and  they  entered  the  courtyard  of  the  king's 
palace  together.  The  king,  at  sight  of  the  half- 
platine,  had  no  doubt  that  the  bearer  of  it  was 
his  godson,  and  welcomed  him  heartily,  although 
he    thought    him    ill-looking.     He    asked    him 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  TRONKOLAINE     279 

also,  who  the  young  man  was  who  accompanied 
him. 

"That  is  a  young  countryman,  godfather,"  re- 
plied he,  "who  followed  me,  hoping  to  find  em- 
ployment at  your  court." 

"Very  well,"  answered  the  king;  "occupation 
shall  be  found  for  him." 

He  was,  in  fact,  employed  as  a  stable-boy, 
while  the  other  followed  the  king  everywhere, 
dressed  like  a  prince,  and  had  nothing  to  do 
every  day  but  eat,  drink,  and  go  out  walking. 

Very  soon  the  pretended  godson,  wishing  to 
get  rid  of  Louis,  the  sight  of  whom  annoyed  him, 
said  to  the  king  one  day, — 

"If  you  could  only  know,  godfather,  what  the 
stable-boy  from  my  country  boasts  that  he  will 
do!" 

"What  does  he  boast  that  he  will  do?"  asked 
the  king. 

"That  he  will  go  and  ask  the  sun  why  he  is 
red  when  he  rises  in  the  morning." 

"Indeed?  Very  well;  let  him  go,  for  I  am 
really  very  curious  to  know  why." 

And  poor  Louis  was  obliged  to  start  off  to  go 
to  see  the  sun,  although  he  declared  that  he  had 
never  said  anything  of  the  sort. 

As  he  was  going  sadly  along  by  the  seashore, 
he  met  a  venerable  old  man,  who  asked  him, — 

"Where  are  you  going,  my  son?" 


28o  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Truly,  grandfather,"  lie  replied,  "I  do  not 
know  at  all.  I  was  told  that,  under  pain  of 
death,  I  should  find  out  from  the  sun  why  he  is 
so  red  when  he  rises  in  the  morning,  and  I  do  not 
know  where  to  find  the  sun." 

"Well!  my  son,  I  will  help  you  to  find  him." 
And  showing  him  a  wooden  horse,  he  said, — 

"Jump  on  this  horse,  which  will  rise  in  the  air, 
at  your  command,  and  carry  you  to  the  foot  of  a 
mountain  on  the  summit  of  which  is  the  castle  of 
the  sun.  Leave  the  horse  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain,  where  you  will  find  it  again  on  your 
return,  and  go  alone  to  the  castle." 

Louis  mounted  the  wooden  horse,  which  rose  at 
once  into  the  air  and  put  him  down  at  the  foot  of 
a  high  mountain.  He  climbed  the  mountain 
with  difficulty,  and  when  at  last  he  reached  the 
summit,  he  saw  a  place  so  fine,  so  resplendent, 
that  he  was  dazzled  by  it.  It  was  the  palace  of 
the  sun.  He  knocked  at  the  door.  An  old 
woman  came  and  opened  it  for  him. 

"Is  my  lord  the  sun  at  home?"  asked  he. 

"No,  my  child;  but  he  will  soon  return,"  an- 
swered the  old  woman. 

"I  will  wait  for  him,  then." 

"But,  my  poor  child,  my  son  will  be  very  hun- 
gry when  he  comes  ;  he  might  very  likely  eat  you 
up." 

"I  beg  you,  madam,  do  not  let  him  eat  me,  for 
I  must  speak  to  him." 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  TRONKOLAINE     281 

"Very  well!  come  in  at  any  rate,  my  boy,  and 
I  will  try  to  manage  it." 

And  he  went  in.  The  sun  arrived  a  little 
while  after,  calling  out, — 

"I  am  hungry,  I  am  very  hungry,  mother!" 
Then  having  sniffed  the  air;  "I  smell  the  smell 
of  a  Christian.  There  is  a  Christian  here,  and  I 
am  going  to  eat  him." 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  his  mother;  "it's  very  likely 
that  I  should  give  you  this  poor,  pretty  child  to 
eat.  There  is  your  supper  all  ready;  eat  it 
quickly  and  keep  silent,  or  look  out  for  my  stick!" 

The  sun  hung  his  head,  at  this  threat,  like  a 
timid  child,  and  began  to  eat  in  silence.  When 
he  had  finished,  Louis,  emboldened  by  seeing  him 
so  gentle,  put  this  question  to  him, — 

"I  should  like  very  much  to  know,  my  lord  the 
sun,  why  you  are  so  red,  so  handsome,  when  you 
rise  in  the  morning." 

"I  will  tell  you  willingly,"  answered  the  sun; 
"it  is  because  the  castle  of  the  princess  of  Tronko- 
laine  is  near  here,  and  she  is  so  beautiful  that  I 
have  to  show  myself  in  all  my  splendor  so  as  not 
to  be  surpassed  by  her." 

"I  am  very  much  obliged,  my  lord  the  sun," 
answered  Louis. 

And  he  bowed  low  and  went  away.  He  went 
down  the  mountain  again,  mounted  his  wooden 
horse,  which  was  waiting  for  him,  and  quickly 
returned  to  the  king's  court. 


282  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Well!"  said  the  latter  to  him,  "have  you 
really  been  all  the  way  to  the  sun,  and  can  you 
tell  me  now  why  he  is  red  when  he  rises  in  the 
morning?" 

"Yes,  sire;  I  can  tell  you  why." 

"Let  us  hear  it,  then." 

"It  is  in  order  not  to  be  eclipsed  by  the  Prin- 
cess Tronkolaine,  whose  castle  is  near  his  own, 
and  who  is  the  most  wonderful  beauty  in  exist- 
ence." The  king  appeared  satisfied  with  the  ex- 
planation. 

But  some  time  after  that  the  false  godson  said 
again, — 

"If  you  could  know,  godfather,  how  this  stable- 
boy  still  brags!" 

"What  does  he  brag  about?"  asked  the  king. 

"Of  being  able  to  bring  the  Princess  Tron- 
kolaine herself  to  your  court  so  that  you  can 
marry  her." 

"Indeed!  has  he  boasted  of  that?  Very  well! 
he  must  do  it,  or  death  is  his  only  portion," 

And  poor  Louis  was  obliged  to  attempt  this 
adventure,  in  spite  of  all  his  protestations  of 
never  having  said  any  such  thing.  Fortunately 
for  him,  he  met  again  on  the  road  the  unknown 
old  man,  who  said  to  him, — 

"Go  back  to  the  king,  and  tell  him  that  in  order 
to  accomplish  your  enterprise  you  must  have  a 
ship  loaded  with  wheat,  bacon,  and  beef,  that  you 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  TRONKOLAINE     283 

may  distribute  these  provisions  among  the  kings 
of  the  ants,  the  sparrow-hawks,  and  the  lions 
which  you  will  meet  on  your  way,  and  which, 
if  you  feast  them  well,  will  be  useful  to  you 
later." 

He  obtained  the  ship  loaded  with  provisions. 
Then  the  old  man  gave  him  besides  a  white  stick, 
by  means  of  which  he  could  obtain  a  favorable 
wind  from  whatever  direction  he  should  turn  it 
toward.  He  set  sail,  passed  by  the  kingdoms  of 
the  ants,  the  sparrow-hawks,  and  the  lions,  and 
regaled  all  these  animals  as  well  as  he  could,  and 
they  all  promised  to  come  to  his  help  as  soon  as 
he  called  them. 

Then  he  landed  on  an  island.  In  the  middle 
of  the  island  there  was  a  magnificent  castle.  It 
was  there  that  the  princess  of  Tronkolaine  dwelt. 
He  saw  her,  beside  a  fountain,  combing  her  blond 
hair  with  a  golden  comb,  and  a  large-toothed 
comb  of  ivory.  He  plucked  an  orange  from  an 
orange-tree  near  by  and  threw  it  into  the  foun- 
tain. The  princess  turned,  saw  him,  smiled  at 
him,  and  told  him  to  come  forward.  Then  she 
led  him  to  her  castle,  feasted  him  on  exquisite 
meats  and  delicious  fruits,  and  invited  him  to  re- 
main with  her.  At  the  end  of  a  fortnight's  stay 
at  the  castle  Louis  asked  the  princess  if  she  would 
agree  to  follow  him  to  the  court  of  France. 

"Willingly,"  she  answered,  "when  you  shall 
have  done  all  the  work  there  is  to  do  here." 


284  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

"Tell  me,  princess,  what  you  wish  me  to  do, 
and  if  it  is  possible,  I  will  do  it." 

The  next  morning  the  princess  took  him  to  the 
barn  of  the  castle,  and  showed  him  a  great  heap 
of  mixed  grain. 

"There,"  said  she,  "is  a  heap  of  mixed  grain, 
— wheat,  rye,  and  barley.  You  must  put  each 
kind  of  grain  in  a  pile  by  itself,  without  making 
a  mistake  in  a  single  grain,  and  it  must  be  done 
by  sunset."     Then  she  went  away. 

Louis  called  the  ant  to  his  assistance,  and  the 
sorting  was  done  perfectly  by  the  appointed  hour. 
So  when  the  princess  came  at  sunset,  she  was 
very  much  astonished.  She  examined  carefully, 
and  not  finding  a  single  grain  of  a  different  sort 
in  any  one  of  the  three  piles, — 

"It  is  very  well  done,"  said  she. 

"Will  you  come  with  me  now,  princess?"  asked 
Louis  of  her  again. 

"Not  yet;  I  have  something  else  to  ask  of  you 
first." 

Accordingly,  the  next  morning,  she  gave  him 
a  wooden  axe,  and  having  led  him  into  the  great 
avenue  of  the  castle,  she  said  to  him,  showing  him 
the  great  oaks, — 

"You  must  cut  down  all  these  trees  before  sun- 
set, with  your  wooden  axe."  Then  she  went 
away. 

As  soon  as  the  princess  was  gone,  Louis  called 


THE  PRINCESS  OE  TRONKOLAINE     285 

the  lions  to  his  assistance,  and  when  she  returned 
at  sunset,  there  was  not  a  single  tree  left  stand- 
ing in  the  avenue.  Her  astonishment  was 
greater  than  before. 

"Will  you  follow  me  now,  princess?"  asked 
Louis. 

"I  have  still  another  task — a  last  test  to  give 
you,"  she  answered;  "and  if  you  get  through  it 
as  successfully  as  the  others,  nothing  shall  then 
prevent  me  from  following  you." 

The  next  morning  the  princess  led  him  to  the 
foot  of  a  high  mountain,  and  said  to  him, — 

"Here  is  a  mountain  which  obscures  my  palace 
and  prevents  my  seeing  at  a  distance,  and  I  desire 
that  it  shall  disappear  by  the  setting  of  the  sun." 
And  she  went  away  again. 

This  time  Louis  called  the  sparrow-hawks  to 
his  assistance,  and  they  were  so  numerous  that 
with  their  beaks  and  claws  they  soon  made  the 
mountain  disappear,  and  leveled  down  the  earth. 
When  the  princess  returned  at  sunset, — 

"Well,  princess,  are  you  satisfied?"  said  Louis. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  "you  have  not  your  equal 
on  the  earth;  and  now  I  will  follow  you  where 
you  will." 

Then  she  gave  him  a  kiss.  They  went  towards 
the  sea  after  that.  The  ship  in  which  Louis  had 
come  to  the  island  was  there  waiting  for  him. 
They  went  aboard  of  her  and  reached  the  conti- 


286  FRENCH  FAIRY  TALES 

nent  without  hindrance.  During  the  voyage,  the 
princess  let  the  key  of  her  castle  fall  into  the  sea, 
without  saying  anything  of  it  to  Louis. 

The  old  man  was  waiting  for  them  on  the 
other  side  of  the  water. 

"Well,  my  son,"  said  he  to  Louis,  "did  you 
succeed?" 

"Yes,  grandfather,  thanks  to  you,  and  may 
God  bless  you." 

When  the  princess  arrived  at  the  court,  the  old 
king  was  so  charmed  with  her  beauty,  that  he 
wished  to  marry  her  immediately. 

"Holloa!"  said  she  then,  "I  did  not  come  here 
for  an  old  gray-beard  like  you,  nor  for  this  other 
creature,"  and  she  pointed  to  the  pretended  god- 
son, "whom  you  believe  to  be  your  godson,  and 
who  is  only  a  demon  !  Here  is  your  real  godson, 
and  it  is  he  who  shall  be  my  husband."  And  she 
pointed  to  Louis.  "Now,  have  the  furnace 
heated,  and  let  this  demon  be  thrown  into  it." 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  And  as  the  demon, 
otherwise  the  pretended  godson,  uttered  fearful 
cries,  and  tried  to  get  out  of  the  furnace,  they 
sent  for  a  young  woman  with  her  first  child,  and 
with  her  wedding  ring,  which  she  presented  to 
him  at  the  opening  of  the  furnace  when  he  tried 
to  get  out,  she  forced  him  to  stay  inside.  Then 
he  cried  out, — 

"If  I  had  remained  at  the  court  only  a  year, 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  TRONKOLAINE     287 

I  should  have  reduced  the  kingdom  to  a  hopeless 
condition." 

Then  Louis  married  the  Princess  Tronkolaine, 
and  he  succeeded  to  the  throne  of  the  old  king, 
his  godfather,  who  had  no  children.  He  brought 
his  old  father  and  mother  to  the  court,  and  also 
his  brothers  and  his  sisters,  whom  he  established 
very  magnificently. 

F.  M.  Luzel, 
"Cinquième  Rapport  sur  une  Mission  en  Bretagne." 


THE  END 


'*™4~»««-yL< 


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